technological-risk-management
The societal process of managing risks created by advanced technologies, emphasizing the difficulty of controlling unintended consequences.
2 chapters across 2 books
The Coming Wave: Technology, Power, and the Twenty-first Century's Greatest Dilemma (2023)Mustafa Suleyman; Michael Bhaskar
Chapter 3, "The Containment Problem," explores the historical and ongoing challenges of managing and containing high-risk technologies, particularly nuclear weapons, to prevent catastrophic consequences. It traces the evolution of containment strategies from early technological disruptions like the printing press to modern nuclear nonproliferation efforts, highlighting the persistent risks of accidents, proliferation, and unintended consequences. The chapter underscores the complexity of technological containment in a globalized world where risks are self-created and difficult to fully control.
The Two Faces Of Tomorrow (1979)James P. Hogan
In this chapter, Raymond Dyer learns that his microplanet proposal has gained high-level approval and is now a top-security international project led by the Council, with the U.S. CIM in charge. The operation will be run as a military experiment using volunteers to test strategies against the global computer system, with Dyer being asked to lead the computer science team on-site at the Icarus C space colony. The chapter explores the tension between secrecy, the risks involved, and the rapid mobilization of resources to implement the plan.