Inventing Organisms from Scratch - Is this a good idea?
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Adrian Woolfson has invented the term 'artificial biological intelligence' and defines it as “the ability to predict, generate, construct and boot up the genomes of all possible species.” Note that he uses the phrase “all possible species”. Woolfson, who is founder of the genome writing company Genyro, has recently written a book: On the Future of Species - Authoring Life by means of Artificial Biological Intelligence.
“In On the Future of Species, Woolfson describes how we are at the cusp of a technological revolution, driven by the convergence of artificial intelligence and synthetic biology. Currently at the scribbling phase—writing the genomes of viruses, bacteria and yeast—we will eventually author the genomes of extinct and never-before-realized species. Life will become computable, detached from its past and no longer bound by Darwinian evolution.
While offering extraordinary opportunities, this power also carries great risk, and it is vital for everyone to understand what the future might hold. In this groundbreaking work, Woolfson provides a guide to this bold new world, offering a moral compass to help us do so safely, wisely and ethically.”
Woolfson writes: “It is time for humanity to initiate a debate, to define what it means to be human, and to decide how we will move forward safely, ethically and responsibly as a species. In doing so, we must not forget our obligation to protect and preserve Earth’s fragile species who will accompany us on this uncertain journey. We cannot truly be human without them.”
Please read this review/critique of the book before coming to the discussion (there are others online):
~Michael