Joy

Joy's biggest fear is that robotics are becoming so advanced that they are eventually going to replace humans and that humans will become obsolete. He talks about the possibility of computer chips or robotic attachments being fused with humans to create a sort of superhuman android that would abolish the regular human race.

One of the first things that he talks about is the New Luddite Challenge. This states that robots will eventually become so advanced and "intelligent" that they will be able to do scientists jobs better than the scientists themselves. Basically, robots will be able to create better robots than humans can. He also gives another good example which is that the machines will not have feelings or morals, and so their actions could very well interfere with the "right thing to do". The relationship between the robots and humans could be a very weak because of the things that the robots would do.

I think that these issues have become more  relevant because in the 11 years since this was published, technology has advanced so much that these things are actually close to becoming a reality. Cell phones now can no longer be called cell phones because they are capable of so much more. Ipods are so small that they can fit on one of the fingers. You can have a constant stream of information at your fingertips at any time of day and in any place in the world. I think that the next step is for technology to become implanted in you because they can't possibly make it any smaller, so the only thing to do is to make it more convenient so that it is with you at all times. I also think that it is a strong possibility because humans are so dependent on technology that they will do whatever it takes to make sure that they always have it. If Apple announced that they would start implanting iPhone chips into people's heads tomorrow, there would be a line down the street. People will do whatever they have to in order to stay connected and stay ahead of the curve, even if that means becoming a robot.