Governance challenges of technological systems convergence

The convergence of several technological systems (especially nanotechnology, biotechnology, informa-tion technology, and robotics) has now been adopted as a strategic goal by several countries, most notably the United States and those of the European Union. The anticipated benefits and related fears of compet-itive disadvantage have brought together a wide range of interested parties, governmental and non-governmental. In the rush to enter and/or dominate this arena, the benign promise of converging tech-nologies (CT) are highlighted, although a range of risks and less welcome (if difficult to quantify) impli-cations are at best understated. What, then, are the prospects for exercising governance over the techno-logical systems we are busy creating—and the uses to which they might be put? What will it mean to speak of “global governance ” in a world in which the tech-nological promise of CT has been fulfilled