Credits: Yahoo.com
In a hidden laboratory in San Francisco, some of the most famous names and powerful corporations in Silicon Valley are privately experimenting to create “perfect” babies. Supported by Sam Altman (CEO of OpenAI) and Brian Armstrong (founder of Coinbase), a startup called Preventive is investigating the use of gene editing technology to cure diseases and potentially improve aspects like intelligence or physical characteristics.
The lab is employing a wide range of sophisticated techniques including CRISPR-Cas9 technology to edit embryos before they are born, and selecting the “best” genes to produce babies that are healthier, smarter, and perhaps taller or stronger. While there’s an argument to be made for preventing suffering (at least that’s what they say), the truth is that the startup is working to create perfect human beings before they ever have the chance to live. According to the WSJ, a couple would have already requested informations to "buy" their perfect baby.
While it sounds like a plot from a science fiction movie, this is happening now. Tech elites (and their families) are using these gene editing technologies to “perfect” modern babies and children. However, where do we draw line? Can we be sure this is about health considerations or are we getting into the territory of design, as in how we would design a particular product? And, who gets to decided what is a “perfect” and "worthy" person?
Genetic engineering is already here, and it’s going to be a lot more nuanced than this.
References :
https://www.wsj.com/tech/biotech/genetically-engineered-babies-tech-billionaires-6779efc8?ut
