The Next Step: Exponential Life presents essays on the potential of what are known as "exponential technologies"--those whose development is accelerating rapidly, such as robotics, artificial intelligence or industrial biology--considering their economic, social, environmental, ethical and even ontological implications. This book's premise is that humanity is at the beginning of a technological revolution that is evolving at a much faster pace than earlier ones--a revolution is so far-reaching it is destined to generate transformations we can only begin to imagine. Contributors include Aubrey D.N.J. de Grey, Jonathan Rossiter, Joseph A. Paradiso, Kevin Warwick, Huma Shah, Ramón López de Mántaras, Helen Papagiannis, Jay David Bolter, Maria Engberg, Robin Hanson, Stuart Russell, Darrell M. West, Francisco González, Chris Skinner, Steven Monroe Lipkin, S. Matthew Liao, James Giordano, Luciano Floridi, Seán Ó Héigeartaigh and Martin Rees.