It is quite possible that the most immediate threat AI poses to humanity is not that its superhuman intelligence will beat us in the game of natural selection, but that it will unleash the power of artificial selection to the advantage of some people over others.
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AI techniques are not only reading and writing genomic data: they are also creating the tools needed to make more effective CRISPR gene editors, the leading method to manipulate genetic material.
For the vast majority of geneticists, these developments are exciting for all the right reasons.
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But a growing range of capabilities and expertise in gene therapy also raises ethical questions: Where will this use of genetic engineering stop? Will enhancement beyond medical purposes, for example to improve cognition or athletic performance, be on the table? Which blurry gradations between medical and enhancement purposes will be permitted? The answers to these questions will determine the extent to which humanity will redirect the processes that have defined the biological boundaries of our species; they will also determine whether we hardwire genetic inequalities into populations.
