I’m not comparing futuristic nanotech with today’s industry. I’m comparing today’s self-replicating technology with today’s industry. You could also compare futuristic nanotech with futuristic industry, which will likely involve lots of nanotech. It will also most likely involve things that are not nanotech. There aren’t necessarily benefits from centralization, but presumably something would benefit. You can’t exactly fit a fusion generator inside a nanobot. You might be able to make a generator out of them, but it would be a lot easier to make it out of regular materials, and it’s not like you’re going to need to turn it into something else at a moment’s notice.
There’s more to danger than efficiency though. If humans are an integral part of the system, it’s all controlled. If they’re not, then if something goes wrong, you could at least blow up the powerplant or something. If it’s all stuff that works on a small scale, you’d have to get rid of every little group of nanomachines or they’d start reproducing again when you’re not looking.
I’m not comparing futuristic nanotech with today’s industry. I’m comparing today’s self-replicating technology with today’s industry. You could also compare futuristic nanotech with futuristic industry, which will likely involve lots of nanotech. It will also most likely involve things that are not nanotech. There aren’t necessarily benefits from centralization, but presumably something would benefit. You can’t exactly fit a fusion generator inside a nanobot. You might be able to make a generator out of them, but it would be a lot easier to make it out of regular materials, and it’s not like you’re going to need to turn it into something else at a moment’s notice.
There’s more to danger than efficiency though. If humans are an integral part of the system, it’s all controlled. If they’re not, then if something goes wrong, you could at least blow up the powerplant or something. If it’s all stuff that works on a small scale, you’d have to get rid of every little group of nanomachines or they’d start reproducing again when you’re not looking.