Just a note. (Score 1)

Regarding the bit about polictical discussions on issues such as gene therepy, Cybernetic implants, and AI programming.

A) politicians are unlikly to hotly discuss such topics unless they have the same urgency all other hotly discussed topics have, IE have already bitten them on the but.)

B) Those topics are very passionatly discussed by academics, and have been for years.

(Incidentaly, the chances of a working AI that can terrify us the way they do in our imaginations are extremly remote, we do not understand ourselves well enough to create one, and if we did understand enough, we probably wouldn't. Computerized intelligence is very difference from human inteligence... don't believe me, lock a nuerologist, a philospher, and a mathematician in a room together, then sell tickets)

The most frightening thing we have to worry about, is who's in charge.