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I had a conversation with an acquaintance of mine a while ago, he is the European director of a large bio-research lab.

It went something like this, he said that once the computer industry had produced this ultimate computing / A.I. system, that, as he put it, "I keep going on about" and people had access to all of the storage and processing power that they could ever possibly want. Then that market will have become exhausted, it would become a static market, so investors, would then move on into new markets?, because this, as he said, "was the way it has always been". There is always more money to be made and markets ready to tap, he told me.

He is a bio-chemist and a rather bright chap, but I couldn't get him to see, just how stupid this type of thinking was, but I am sure that he is fairly representative of a lot of businessmen. The true implications of the issues raised in this eBook, have not, as far as I can see, materialised at least in his mind, as rational thought. Maybe it's because he doesn't want to deal with or believe in, a future scenario that doesn't fit in, with his own hopes and dreams. But it does seem to me, that most of the people in business or on higher incomes, just think that this A.I. / I.T. stuff, won't affect them or their businesses, at least in a negative way, or maybe they think that money will protect them?

Nanotech as Drexler envisions it, will be the last market and if we do achieve self aware A.I. and it becomes smarter than we are, then once again, no market will be safe, ultimately any business as it exists today, will no longer exist. Companies like Ericsson which have been major players in the development of hardware for the telecommunications industry, are now shedding up to halve their workforce so as to streamline operations, this is no surprise at least to me. This is part and parcel of the chain reaction scenario, as we reach a certain level of hardware, then it becomes increasingly difficult to sell that hardware, because the visible improvements to both industry and the public are not worth paying for. In other words, companies can churn out better hardware, but if it is only marginally more capable than what has gone before, then it becomes pointless as far as the consumer is concerned. Why shell out on new hardware, that will not recoup it's initial investment or could be better spent on more lucrative returns. This can also be seen in the mobile phone market, with companies trying to sell new fancy phones, to an already flooded market. As the mobile market, matures into an always on grid connected PDA phone, with holographic projection capabilities and its own onboard nano-manufacturing machinery, capable of reproducing any of the virtual goods, that might be displayed from the global net and with bluetooth type neural connections to the brain, then the question is, where do we go from there.

The future:-

Your online A.I., VR salesman will of course be programmed to sell these new devices to you, so you ask what does this new device do that my old mobile didn't, the sales avatar says, well it will also make the tea, whilst providing you with instantaneous teleportation to any place in the universe, oh really, well the last device you sold me, helped put me out of work? Oh say's the salesavatar, so what did you used to do then, oh I used to be a mobile phone salesmen, but now I'm broke, anyway how much did you say this new mobile costs?

Once nanotechnology matures into the vision that Drexler has for it, then you won't be able to sell anything to anybody, it is a natural progression, but the effect this technology will have on the workforce and business as it operates today, could be devastating, a bit like what's happened to Ericsson's workforce?

Or as Mr William Gibson of Neuromancer fame puts it:- Nanotechnology just makes my brain stop! If they can get that one going, all bets are off. Everyone's immortal, capitol is meaningless - I just can't function, All Tomorrows Parties - here's your nanotech - I quit?

"Part of an interview reproduced from PC Format is licensed by Future Publishing Ltd a Future Network plc group company, UK 2001. All rights reserved. PC Format is the trademark of Future Publishing Ltd, a Future Network plc group company used under licence"