Thread by @Noahpinion

Today's @bopinion post is about human genetic engineering, and why the U.S. needs to lead in this technology. bloomberg.com/opinion/articl…

There's a high likelihood that the recent Chinese claim of genetically engineered AIDS-resistant babies is a fraud.

BUT, real human genetic engineering is imminent. It's science fiction no longer.

Americans are very wary of using genetic engineering for purposes other than curing diseases. The one you usually hear about is boosting intelligence. People are scared of this.

But genetic intelligence boosts are probably going to remain in the realm of science fiction for a long time to come.

My guess is that genetic interventions to make people less prone to anxiety and depression will be much more important, much quicker. This could massively increase human well-being, AND raise national productivity.

But to be honest, I think the biggest early use case of human genetic engineering will just be appearance-based. People will want kids who are taller, or better-looking, or who have blue hair, or whatever.

It's gonna be big business.

China is probably going to use human genetic engineering for dystopian purposes. They use everything *else* for dystopian purposes, so this should be no exception.

The U.S. has to lead in this space, in order to give the world a humanistic alternative.

Fortunately, despite China's early lead (thanks to fewer concerns about ethics and privacy), the U.S. still has the chance to win the space in the long run.

Human genetic engineering is here.

The technology is not going to go away no matter how much we wring our hands.

So let's stop wringing our hands and make sure the technology gets used for good purposes - because China sure isn't going to.

(end)