0:00:13.150,0:00:14.996
So what if I could make for you

0:00:15.020,0:00:16.500
a designer baby?

0:00:18.030,0:00:20.326
What if you as a parent-to-be

0:00:20.350,0:00:24.350
and I as a scientist decided[br]to go down that road together?

0:00:24.910,0:00:26.166
What if we didn't?

0:00:26.190,0:00:28.865
What if we thought, "That's a bad idea,"

0:00:28.889,0:00:32.266
but many of our family,[br]friends and coworkers

0:00:32.290,0:00:33.853
did make that decision?

0:00:35.145,0:00:38.345
Let's fast-forward just 15 years from now.

0:00:38.770,0:00:41.546
Let's pretend it's the year 2030,

0:00:41.570,0:00:42.969
and you're a parent.

0:00:43.530,0:00:46.786
You have your daughter,[br]Marianne, next to you,

0:00:46.810,0:00:50.186
and in 2030, she is[br]what we call a natural,

0:00:50.210,0:00:52.730
because she has no genetic modifications.

0:00:54.090,0:00:58.162
And because you and your partner[br]consciously made that decision,

0:00:58.290,0:01:01.506
many in your social circle,[br]they kind of look down on you.

0:01:01.530,0:01:04.349
They think you're a Luddite[br]or a technophobe.

0:01:04.373,0:01:08.406
Marianne's best friend Jenna,[br]who lives right next door,

0:01:08.430,0:01:09.950
is a very different story.

0:01:10.830,0:01:16.783
She was born a genetically modified[br]designer baby with numerous upgrades.

0:01:17.101,0:01:18.496
(Laughter)

0:01:18.630,0:01:19.990
Yeah. Upgrades.

0:01:20.790,0:01:23.686
And these enhancements were introduced

0:01:23.710,0:01:26.246
using a new genetic[br]modification technology

0:01:26.270,0:01:29.046
that goes by the funny name CRISPR,

0:01:29.070,0:01:30.766
you know, like something's crisp,

0:01:30.790,0:01:32.110
this is CRISPR.

0:01:33.430,0:01:36.726
The scientist that Jenna's parents[br]hired to do this,

0:01:36.750,0:01:39.284
for several million dollars,

0:01:39.470,0:01:43.350
introduced CRISPR[br]into a whole panel of human embryos.

0:01:44.270,0:01:45.966
And then they used genetic testing,

0:01:45.990,0:01:50.046
and they predicted that[br]that little tiny embryo, Jenna's embryo,

0:01:50.070,0:01:51.990
would be the best of the bunch.

0:01:53.070,0:01:56.526
And now, Jenna is an actual, real person.

0:01:56.550,0:01:59.766
She's sitting on the carpet[br]in your living room,

0:01:59.790,0:02:02.270
playing with your daughter Marianne.

0:02:02.990,0:02:06.086
And your families have known[br]each other for years now,

0:02:06.110,0:02:08.526
and it's become very clear to you

0:02:08.550,0:02:10.430
that Jenna is extraordinary.

0:02:11.110,0:02:13.126
She's incredibly intelligent.

0:02:13.150,0:02:16.406
If you're honest with yourself,[br]she's smarter than you,

0:02:16.430,0:02:17.821
and she's five years old.

0:02:17.845,0:02:18.925
(Laughter)

0:02:18.949,0:02:22.846
She's beautiful, tall, athletic,

0:02:22.870,0:02:25.350
and the list goes on and on.

0:02:26.190,0:02:28.766
And in fact, there's[br]a whole new generation

0:02:28.790,0:02:31.030
of these GM kids like Jenna.

0:02:31.830,0:02:33.966
And so far it looks like

0:02:33.990,0:02:36.326
they're healthier[br]than their parents' generation,

0:02:36.350,0:02:38.086
than your generation.

0:02:38.110,0:02:40.110
And they have lower health-care costs.

0:02:41.950,0:02:44.686
They're immune to a host[br]of health conditions,

0:02:44.710,0:02:47.950
including HIV/AIDS and genetic diseases.

0:02:48.990,0:02:51.241
It all sounds so great,

0:02:51.350,0:02:54.406
but you can't help but have[br]this sort of unsettling feeling,

0:02:54.430,0:03:00.046
a gut feeling, that there's something[br]just not quite right about Jenna,

0:03:00.070,0:03:04.190
and you've had the same feeling[br]about other GM kids that you've met.

0:03:05.030,0:03:08.406
You were also reading[br]in the newspaper earlier this week

0:03:08.430,0:03:12.366
that a study of these children[br]who were born as designer babies

0:03:12.390,0:03:14.246
indicates they may have some issues,

0:03:14.270,0:03:17.950
like increased aggressiveness[br]and narcissism.

0:03:19.550,0:03:21.206
But more immediately on your mind

0:03:21.230,0:03:24.926
is some news that you just got[br]from Jenna's family.

0:03:24.950,0:03:26.446
She's so smart,

0:03:26.470,0:03:29.566
she's now going to be going[br]to a special school,

0:03:29.590,0:03:32.086
a different school[br]than your daughter Marianne,

0:03:32.110,0:03:35.846
and this is kind of throwing[br]your family into a disarray.

0:03:35.870,0:03:37.206
Marianne's been crying,

0:03:37.230,0:03:40.969
and last night when you took her to bed[br]to kiss her goodnight,

0:03:41.071,0:03:45.368
she said, "Daddy, will Jenna[br]even be my friend anymore?"

0:03:46.890,0:03:50.426
So now, as I've been telling you[br]this imagined 2030 story,

0:03:50.450,0:03:53.066
I have a feeling[br]that I may have put some of you

0:03:53.090,0:03:55.666
into this sci-fi[br]frame of reference. Right?

0:03:55.690,0:03:58.186
You think you're reading a sci-fi book.

0:03:58.210,0:04:01.146
Or maybe, like,[br]in Halloween mode of thinking.

0:04:01.170,0:04:03.586
But this is really[br]a possible reality for us,

0:04:03.610,0:04:05.250
just 15 years from now.

0:04:05.890,0:04:08.826
I'm a stem cell and genetics researcher

0:04:08.850,0:04:11.786
and I can see this new CRISPR technology

0:04:11.810,0:04:13.530
and its potential impact.

0:04:14.010,0:04:17.625
And we may find ourselves in that reality,

0:04:17.649,0:04:20.730
and a lot will depend[br]on what we decide to do today.

0:04:22.370,0:04:24.866
And if you're still[br]kind of thinking in sci-fi mode,

0:04:24.890,0:04:29.386
consider that the world of science[br]had a huge shock earlier this year,

0:04:29.410,0:04:32.345
and the public largely[br]doesn't even know about it.

0:04:32.369,0:04:35.146
Researchers in China just a few months ago

0:04:35.170,0:04:39.826
reported the creation[br]of genetically modified human embryos.

0:04:39.850,0:04:42.386
This was the first time in history.

0:04:42.410,0:04:45.090
And they did it using[br]this new CRISPR technology.

0:04:45.970,0:04:47.706
It didn't work perfectly,

0:04:47.730,0:04:51.306
but I still think[br]they sort of cracked the door ajar

0:04:51.330,0:04:53.130
on a Pandora's box here.

0:04:54.890,0:04:57.786
And I think some people[br]are going to run with this technology

0:04:57.810,0:04:59.690
and try to make designer babies.

0:05:00.610,0:05:03.666
Now, before I go on, some of you[br]may hold up your hands and say,

0:05:03.690,0:05:05.946
"Stop, Paul, wait a minute.

0:05:05.970,0:05:07.786
Wouldn't that be illegal?

0:05:07.810,0:05:11.450
You can't just go off[br]and create a designer baby."

0:05:12.066,0:05:14.066
And in fact, to some extent, you're right.

0:05:14.090,0:05:16.410
In some countries, you couldn't do that.

0:05:16.930,0:05:20.186
But in many other countries,[br]including my country, the US,

0:05:20.210,0:05:24.090
there's actually no law on this,[br]so in theory, you could do it.

0:05:25.090,0:05:29.546
And there was another development[br]this year that resonates in this area,

0:05:29.570,0:05:32.370
and that happened[br]not so far from here over in the UK.

0:05:32.890,0:05:35.986
And the UK traditionally[br]has been the strictest country

0:05:36.010,0:05:38.826
when it comes to human[br]genetic modification.

0:05:38.850,0:05:40.786
It was illegal there,

0:05:40.810,0:05:42.386
but just a few months ago,

0:05:42.410,0:05:44.866
they carved out an exception to that rule.

0:05:44.890,0:05:46.426
They passed a new law

0:05:46.450,0:05:49.906
allowing the creation[br]of genetically modified humans

0:05:49.930,0:05:54.050
with the noble goal of trying[br]to prevent a rare kind of genetic disease.

0:05:54.810,0:05:58.506
But still, I think in combination,[br]these events are pushing us

0:05:58.530,0:06:01.066
further towards an acceptance

0:06:01.090,0:06:03.010
of human genetic modification.

0:06:04.250,0:06:07.146
So I've been talking[br]about this CRISPR technology.

0:06:07.170,0:06:09.210
What actually is CRISPR?

0:06:09.770,0:06:13.106
So if you think about the GMOs[br]that we're all more familiar with,

0:06:13.130,0:06:16.346
like GMO tomatoes and wheat

0:06:16.370,0:06:18.306
and things like that,

0:06:18.330,0:06:20.946
this technology[br]is similar to the technologies

0:06:20.970,0:06:22.826
that were used to make those,

0:06:22.850,0:06:25.226
but it's dramatically better,

0:06:25.250,0:06:27.210
cheaper and faster.

0:06:28.530,0:06:30.066
So what is it?

0:06:30.090,0:06:32.546
It's actually like[br]a genetic Swiss army knife.

0:06:32.570,0:06:34.826
We can pretend this is a Swiss army knife

0:06:34.850,0:06:36.186
with different tools in it,

0:06:36.210,0:06:39.346
and one of the tools[br]is kind of like a magnifying glass

0:06:39.370,0:06:42.185
or a GPS for our DNA,

0:06:42.290,0:06:44.866
so it can home in on a certain spot.

0:06:44.890,0:06:46.546
And the next tool is like scissors

0:06:46.570,0:06:49.826
that can cut the DNA right in that spot.

0:06:49.850,0:06:51.426
And finally, we have a pen,

0:06:51.450,0:06:55.946
where we can literally rewrite[br]the genetic code in that location.

0:06:55.970,0:06:57.210
It's really that simple.

0:06:58.090,0:07:01.746
And this technology, which came[br]on the scene just three years ago,

0:07:01.770,0:07:03.610
has taken science by storm.

0:07:04.410,0:07:08.666
It's evolving so fast, and it's[br]so freaking exciting to scientists --

0:07:08.690,0:07:12.490
and I admit I'm fascinated by it[br]and we use it in my own lab --

0:07:13.450,0:07:17.026
that I think someone[br]is going to go that extra step

0:07:17.050,0:07:19.626
and continue the GM human embryo work

0:07:19.650,0:07:22.050
and maybe make designer babies.

0:07:23.490,0:07:25.146
This is so ubiquitous now.

0:07:25.170,0:07:27.586
It just came on the scene three years ago.

0:07:27.610,0:07:31.946
Thousands of labs[br]literally have this in hand today,

0:07:31.970,0:07:34.346
and they're doing important research.

0:07:34.370,0:07:36.986
Most of them are not interested[br]in designer babies.

0:07:37.010,0:07:39.506
They're studying human disease

0:07:39.530,0:07:41.946
and other important elements of science.

0:07:41.970,0:07:44.570
So there's a lot of good research[br]going on with CRISPR.

0:07:45.410,0:07:48.826
And the fact that we can[br]now do genetic modifications

0:07:48.850,0:07:52.626
that used to take years[br]and cost millions of dollars

0:07:52.650,0:07:55.666
in a few weeks[br]for a couple thousand bucks,

0:07:55.690,0:07:57.826
to me, as a scientist, that's fantastic,

0:07:57.850,0:07:59.986
but again, at the same time,

0:08:00.010,0:08:03.130
it opens the door to people going too far.

0:08:03.730,0:08:05.146
And I think for some people,

0:08:05.170,0:08:07.667
the focus is not going to be[br]so much on science.

0:08:08.210,0:08:10.226
That's not what's going[br]to be driving them.

0:08:10.250,0:08:13.770
It's going to be ideology[br]or the chase for a profit.

0:08:14.530,0:08:17.090
And they're going to go[br]for designer babies.

0:08:17.338,0:08:19.436
So why should we be concerned about this?

0:08:19.930,0:08:23.146
We know from Darwin,[br]if we go back two centuries,

0:08:23.170,0:08:27.306
that evolution and genetics[br]profoundly have impacted humanity,

0:08:27.330,0:08:28.744
who we are today.

0:08:29.490,0:08:33.426
And some think there's like[br]a social Darwinism at work in our world,

0:08:33.450,0:08:35.929
and maybe even a eugenics as well.

0:08:36.530,0:08:40.265
Imagine those trends, those forces,

0:08:40.289,0:08:43.265
with a booster rocket[br]of this CRISPR technology

0:08:43.289,0:08:46.010
that is so powerful and so ubiquitous.

0:08:46.810,0:08:50.705
And in fact, we can just go back[br]one century to the last century

0:08:50.729,0:08:53.730
to see the power that eugenics can have.

0:08:54.610,0:08:57.066
So my father, Peter Knoepfler,

0:08:57.090,0:08:59.866
was actually born right here in Vienna.

0:08:59.890,0:09:03.684
He was Viennese,[br]and he was born here in 1929.

0:09:04.410,0:09:08.306
And when my grandparents[br]had little baby Peter,

0:09:08.330,0:09:10.066
the world was very different. Right?

0:09:10.090,0:09:11.386
It was a different Vienna.

0:09:11.410,0:09:12.986
The United States was different.

0:09:13.010,0:09:14.266
The world was different.

0:09:14.290,0:09:16.586
There was a eugenics rising,

0:09:16.610,0:09:18.946
and my grandparents realized,

0:09:18.970,0:09:20.386
pretty quickly I think,

0:09:20.410,0:09:23.930
that they were on the wrong side[br]of the eugenics equation.

0:09:24.650,0:09:27.026
And so despite this being their home

0:09:27.050,0:09:29.106
and their whole extended family's home,

0:09:29.130,0:09:33.466
and this area being their family's[br]home for generations,

0:09:33.490,0:09:36.506
they decided because of eugenics

0:09:36.530,0:09:37.770
that they had to leave.

0:09:38.490,0:09:40.626
And they survived,[br]but they were heartbroken,

0:09:40.650,0:09:44.786
and I'm not sure my dad[br]ever really got over leaving Vienna.

0:09:44.810,0:09:47.146
He left when he was just eight years old

0:09:47.170,0:09:48.423
in 1938.

0:09:48.447,0:09:51.526
So today, I see a new eugenics

0:09:51.550,0:09:53.886
kind of bubbling to the surface.

0:09:53.910,0:09:58.886
It's supposed to be a kinder,[br]gentler, positive eugenics,

0:09:58.910,0:10:01.230
different than all that past stuff.

0:10:02.110,0:10:06.486
But I think even though it's focused[br]on trying to improve people,

0:10:06.510,0:10:09.206
it could have negative consequences,

0:10:09.230,0:10:10.486
and it really worries me

0:10:10.510,0:10:13.286
that some of the top proponents[br]of this new eugenics,

0:10:13.310,0:10:16.870
they think CRISPR is the ticket[br]to make it happen.

0:10:18.270,0:10:20.006
So I have to admit, you know,

0:10:20.030,0:10:23.286
eugenics, we talk[br]about making better people.

0:10:23.310,0:10:24.566
It's a tough question.

0:10:24.590,0:10:27.510
What is better when we're talking[br]about a human being?

0:10:28.270,0:10:30.926
But I admit I think maybe a lot of us

0:10:30.950,0:10:33.886
could agree that human beings,

0:10:33.910,0:10:35.886
maybe we could use a little betterment.

0:10:35.910,0:10:38.206
Look at our politicians

0:10:38.230,0:10:40.286
here, you know, back in the US --

0:10:40.310,0:10:43.926
God forbid we go there right now.

0:10:43.950,0:10:45.926
Maybe even if we just look in the mirror,

0:10:45.950,0:10:48.486
there might be ways[br]we think we could be better.

0:10:48.510,0:10:53.326
I might wish, honestly, that I had[br]more hair here, instead of baldness.

0:10:53.350,0:10:55.886
Some people might wish they were taller,

0:10:55.910,0:10:58.750
have a different weight, a different face.

0:10:59.343,0:11:03.246
If we could do those things,[br]we could make those things happen,

0:11:03.270,0:11:05.526
or we could make them happen[br]in our children,

0:11:05.550,0:11:07.350
it would be very seductive.

0:11:07.950,0:11:10.846
And yet coming with it[br]would be these risks.

0:11:10.870,0:11:12.766
I talked about eugenics,

0:11:12.790,0:11:15.606
but there would be risks[br]to individuals as well.

0:11:15.630,0:11:18.086
So if we forget about enhancing people

0:11:18.110,0:11:22.566
and we just try to make them[br]healthier using genetic modification,

0:11:22.590,0:11:25.046
this technology is so new

0:11:25.070,0:11:26.646
and so powerful,

0:11:26.670,0:11:29.430
that by accident,[br]we could make them sicker.

0:11:30.430,0:11:32.566
That easily could happen.

0:11:32.590,0:11:33.846
And there's another risk,

0:11:33.870,0:11:38.446
and that is that all of the legitimate,[br]important genetic modification research

0:11:38.470,0:11:40.126
going on just in the lab --

0:11:40.150,0:11:43.166
again, no interest in designer babies --

0:11:43.190,0:11:46.046
a few people going[br]the designer baby route,

0:11:46.070,0:11:47.446
things go badly,

0:11:47.470,0:11:50.430
that entire field could be damaged.

0:11:51.350,0:11:53.806
I also think it's not that unlikely

0:11:53.830,0:11:58.110
that governments might start taking[br]an interest in genetic modification.

0:11:58.790,0:12:03.726
So for example,[br]our imagined GM Jenna child

0:12:03.750,0:12:04.966
who is healthier,

0:12:04.990,0:12:09.006
if there's a generation that looks[br]like they have lower health-care costs,

0:12:09.030,0:12:13.246
it's possible that governments[br]may start trying to compel their citizens

0:12:13.270,0:12:15.166
to go the GM route.

0:12:15.190,0:12:17.206
Look at China's one-child policy.

0:12:17.230,0:12:22.950
It's thought that that prevented[br]the birth of 400 million human beings.

0:12:24.110,0:12:26.886
So it's not beyond the realm of possible

0:12:26.910,0:12:30.478
that genetic modification[br]could be something that governments push.

0:12:31.190,0:12:34.434
And if designer babies become popular,

0:12:34.458,0:12:36.526
in our digital age --

0:12:36.550,0:12:39.206
viral videos, social media --

0:12:39.230,0:12:41.806
what if designer babies[br]are thought to be fashionable,

0:12:41.830,0:12:43.966
and they kind of become[br]the new glitterati,

0:12:43.990,0:12:45.726
the new Kardashians or something?

0:12:45.750,0:12:46.766
(Laughter)

0:12:46.790,0:12:51.326
You know, are those trends[br]that we really could control?

0:12:51.350,0:12:53.430
I'm not convinced that we could.

0:12:54.550,0:12:57.726
So again, today it's Halloween

0:12:57.750,0:13:00.206
and when we talk[br]about genetic modification,

0:13:00.230,0:13:03.366
there's one Halloween-associated character

0:13:03.390,0:13:06.046
that is talked about[br]or invoked more than anything else,

0:13:06.070,0:13:07.910
and that is Frankenstein.

0:13:08.510,0:13:12.926
Mostly that's been Frankenfoods[br]and all this other stuff.

0:13:12.950,0:13:17.526
But if we think about this now[br]and we think about it in the human context

0:13:17.550,0:13:18.806
on a day like Halloween,

0:13:18.830,0:13:24.246
if parents can, in essence,[br]costume their children genetically,

0:13:24.270,0:13:29.030
are we going to be talking about[br]Frankenstein 2.0 kind of situation?

0:13:30.150,0:13:33.326
I don't think so. I don't think[br]it's going to get to that extreme.

0:13:33.350,0:13:37.326
But when we are going about[br]hacking the human code,

0:13:37.350,0:13:40.606
I think all bets are off[br]in terms of what might come of that.

0:13:40.630,0:13:42.306
There would still be dangers.

0:13:42.330,0:13:43.666
And we can look in the past

0:13:43.690,0:13:46.306
to other elements[br]of transformative science

0:13:46.330,0:13:50.146
and see how they can[br]basically go out of control

0:13:50.170,0:13:51.730
and permeate society.

0:13:52.170,0:13:55.970
So I'll just give you one example,[br]and that is in vitro fertilization.

0:13:56.090,0:13:59.706
Almost exactly 40 years ago,

0:13:59.730,0:14:03.426
test-tube baby number one,[br]Louise Brown was born,

0:14:03.450,0:14:04.706
and that's a great thing,

0:14:04.730,0:14:10.266
and I think since then[br]five million IVF babies have been born,

0:14:10.290,0:14:11.946
bringing immeasurable happiness.

0:14:11.970,0:14:15.106
A lot of parents now can love those kids.

0:14:15.130,0:14:17.186
But if you think about it,[br]in four decades,

0:14:17.210,0:14:21.106
five million babies being born[br]from a new technology

0:14:21.130,0:14:22.946
is pretty remarkable,

0:14:22.970,0:14:25.186
and the same kind of thing could happen

0:14:25.210,0:14:28.786
with human genetic modification[br]and designer babies.

0:14:28.810,0:14:31.986
So depending on the decisions[br]we make in the next few months,

0:14:32.010,0:14:33.306
the next year or so,

0:14:33.330,0:14:36.466
if designer baby number one is born,

0:14:36.490,0:14:37.706
within a few decades,

0:14:37.730,0:14:41.386
there could well be millions[br]of genetically modified humans.

0:14:41.410,0:14:45.866
And there's a difference there too,[br]because if we, you in the audience, or I,

0:14:45.890,0:14:48.786
if we decide to have a designer baby,

0:14:48.810,0:14:52.826
then their children will also[br]be genetically modified, and so on,

0:14:52.850,0:14:54.146
because it's heritable.

0:14:54.170,0:14:55.650
So that's a big difference.

0:14:55.810,0:14:57.706
So with all of this in mind,

0:14:57.730,0:14:59.290
what should we do?

0:15:00.330,0:15:02.146
There's actually going to be a meeting

0:15:02.170,0:15:05.066
a month from tomorrow in Washington, D.C.

0:15:05.090,0:15:07.026
by the US National Academy of Sciences

0:15:07.050,0:15:09.666
to tackle that exact question.

0:15:09.690,0:15:13.370
What is the right path forward[br]with human genetic modification?

0:15:14.210,0:15:16.626
I believe at this time,

0:15:16.650,0:15:18.106
we need a moratorium.

0:15:18.130,0:15:19.626
We have to ban this.

0:15:19.650,0:15:23.226
We should not allow[br]creating genetically modified people,

0:15:23.250,0:15:26.546
because it's just too dangerous[br]and too unpredictable.

0:15:26.570,0:15:28.026
But there's a lot of people --

0:15:28.050,0:15:29.186
(Applause)

0:15:29.210,0:15:30.426
Thanks.

0:15:30.450,0:15:36.666
(Applause)

0:15:37.090,0:15:39.386
And let me say, just as a scientist,

0:15:39.410,0:15:41.906
it's a little bit scary[br]for me to say that in public,

0:15:41.930,0:15:47.170
because science generally doesn't like[br]self-regulation and things like that.

0:15:47.900,0:15:51.036
So I think we need to put a hold on this,

0:15:51.060,0:15:53.796
but there are many people[br]who not only disagree with me,

0:15:53.820,0:15:55.316
they feel the exact opposite.

0:15:55.340,0:15:58.676
They're like, step on the gas,[br]full speed ahead,

0:15:58.700,0:16:00.316
let's make designer babies.

0:16:00.340,0:16:03.276
And so in the meeting in December

0:16:03.300,0:16:06.756
and other meetings that are likely[br]to follow in the next few months,

0:16:06.780,0:16:09.916
it's very possible[br]there may be no moratorium.

0:16:09.940,0:16:12.996
And I think part[br]of the problem that we have

0:16:13.020,0:16:15.076
is that all of this trend,

0:16:15.100,0:16:19.196
this revolution in genetic modification[br]applying to humans,

0:16:19.220,0:16:20.836
the public hasn't known about it.

0:16:20.860,0:16:22.676
Nobody has been saying,

0:16:22.700,0:16:26.756
look, this is a big deal,[br]this is a revolution,

0:16:26.780,0:16:29.036
and this could affect you[br]in very personal ways.

0:16:29.060,0:16:31.876
And so part of my goal[br]is actually to change that

0:16:31.900,0:16:34.836
and to educate and engage with the public

0:16:34.860,0:16:37.660
and get you guys talking about this.

0:16:38.180,0:16:41.956
And so I hope at these meetings[br]that there will be a role for the public

0:16:41.980,0:16:44.501
to bring their voice to bear as well.

0:16:44.525,0:16:49.085
So if we kind of circle back now[br]to 2030 again, that imagined story,

0:16:49.874,0:16:53.036
and depending on the decisions[br]we make, again, today --

0:16:53.060,0:16:54.996
literally we don't have a lot of time --

0:16:55.020,0:16:57.116
in the next few months,[br]the next year or so,

0:16:57.140,0:16:59.660
because this technology[br]is spreading like wildfire.

0:17:00.380,0:17:03.316
Let's pretend we're back in that reality.

0:17:03.340,0:17:05.155
We're at a park,

0:17:05.179,0:17:08.494
and our kid is swinging on the swing.

0:17:08.519,0:17:11.136
Is that kid a regular old kid,

0:17:11.160,0:17:14.616
or did we decide to have a designer baby?

0:17:14.640,0:17:18.096
And let's say we went[br]the sort of traditional route,

0:17:18.119,0:17:20.616
and there's our kid swinging on the swing,

0:17:20.640,0:17:23.455
and frankly, they're kind of a mess.

0:17:23.480,0:17:26.175
Their hair is all over[br]the place like mine.

0:17:26.200,0:17:28.415
They have a stuffy nose.

0:17:28.440,0:17:30.480
They're not the best student in the world.

0:17:31.160,0:17:33.376
They're adorable, you love them,

0:17:33.400,0:17:35.336
but there on the swing next to them,

0:17:35.360,0:17:38.376
their best friend is a GM kid,

0:17:38.400,0:17:40.816
and the two of them[br]are kind of swinging like this,

0:17:40.840,0:17:42.856
and you can't help[br]but compare them, right?

0:17:42.880,0:17:45.376
And the GM kid is swinging higher,

0:17:45.400,0:17:47.576
they look better,[br]they're a better student,

0:17:47.600,0:17:50.397
they don't have that stuffy nose[br]you need to wipe.

0:17:50.421,0:17:52.776
How is that going to make you feel

0:17:52.800,0:17:55.520
and what decision[br]might you make next time?

0:17:56.646,0:17:57.863
Thank you.

0:17:57.887,0:18:04.887
(Applause)