A
question that
fans of
science fiction need to
consider.
So it may not necessarily be molecular nanotechnology itself which makes science fiction a useless type of writing, the increasing speed of advances should make it clear that some point in the future, probably rather soon, any attempt to write a story set more than 10 years or so will seem silly.
Why? Because you can't really write a story that draws readers in without creating some sort of realistic environment. And the speed of change will get to the point where you just can't see far enough to do that.
Much of today's science fiction is harmed by the lack of the existence of nanotechnology, which is lingering in reality just over the horizion. Look at Star Trek, and tell me if you think for a minute that there is any chance of things being like that. Of course not. The (possibly deliberate) ignorance of technological advances such as nanotech, highly extended life spans, and who knows what else, may make for a better storyline that people can comprehend, but makes it impossible to suspend disbelief for someone who sees some of what's coming.