While Americans generally think that technological changes will make people's lives better, there are a few near-term advances that make people wary, according to a survey conducted by the Pew Research Council.
"In the long run, Americans are optimistic about the impact that scientific developments will have on their lives and the lives of their children — but they definitely expect to encounter some bumps along the way," Aaron Smith, a senior researcher at Pew and author of the report, tells CNN. "They are especially concerned about developments that have the potential to upend long-standing social norms around things like personal privacy, surveillance, and the nature of social relationships."
Nearly 60 percent of the more than 1,000 people polled in the US said technological and scientific advances of the future will make people's lives better. For instance, respondents were hopeful that custom lab-grown would soon be available for people needing transplants.
But about two-thirds of respondents said that if "prospective parents could alter the DNA of their children to produce smarter, healthier, or more athletic offspring" that would make the future worse. Respondents were also concerned about the use of drones, robot caregivers, and implantable or wearable digitally connected devices.
People also seemed to note the limitations of technology, the report says. About a third of people thought that humans would colonize another world within 50 years and 19 percent of respondents thought that humans would be able to control the weather.
Interestingly, only 1 percent of respondents said they wanted to own a jetpack.