0:00:00.640,0:00:03.096
So what if I could make for you

0:00:03.120,0:00:04.600
a designer baby?

0:00:06.120,0:00:08.416
What if you as a parent-to-be

0:00:08.440,0:00:12.440
and I as a scientist decided[br]to go down that road together?

0:00:14.040,0:00:15.296
What if we didn't?

0:00:15.320,0:00:18.096
What if we thought, "That's a bad idea,"

0:00:18.120,0:00:21.496
but many of our family,[br]friends and coworkers

0:00:21.520,0:00:23.160
did make that decision?

0:00:24.320,0:00:27.520
Let's fast-forward just 15 years from now.

0:00:27.960,0:00:30.736
Let's pretend it's the year 2030,

0:00:30.760,0:00:32.159
and you're a parent.

0:00:32.720,0:00:35.976
You have your daughter,[br]Marianne, next to you,

0:00:36.000,0:00:39.376
and in 2030, she is what we call a natural

0:00:39.400,0:00:41.920
because she has no genetic modifications.

0:00:43.280,0:00:46.720
And because you and your partner[br]consciously made that decision,

0:00:47.480,0:00:50.696
many in your social circle,[br]they kind of look down on you.

0:00:50.720,0:00:53.520
They think you're, like,[br]a Luddite or a technophobe.

0:00:55.520,0:00:58.496
Marianne's best friend Jenna,[br]who lives right next door,

0:00:58.520,0:01:00.040
is a very different story.

0:01:00.920,0:01:06.800
She was born a genetically modified[br]designer baby with numerous upgrades.

0:01:08.720,0:01:10.080
Yeah. Upgrades.

0:01:10.880,0:01:13.776
And these enhancements were introduced

0:01:13.800,0:01:16.336
using a new genetic[br]modification technology

0:01:16.360,0:01:19.136
that goes by the funny name CRISPR,

0:01:19.160,0:01:20.856
you know, like something's crisp,

0:01:20.880,0:01:22.200
this is CRISPR.

0:01:23.520,0:01:26.816
The scientist that Jenna's parents[br]hired to do this

0:01:26.840,0:01:28.720
for several million dollars

0:01:29.560,0:01:33.440
introduced CRISPR[br]into a whole panel of human embryos.

0:01:34.360,0:01:36.056
And then they used genetic testing,

0:01:36.080,0:01:40.136
and they predicted that[br]that little tiny embryo, Jenna's embryo,

0:01:40.160,0:01:42.080
would be the best of the bunch.

0:01:43.160,0:01:46.616
And now, Jenna is an actual, real person.

0:01:46.640,0:01:49.856
She's sitting on the carpet[br]in your living room

0:01:49.880,0:01:52.360
playing with your daughter Marianne.

0:01:53.080,0:01:56.176
And your families have known[br]each other for years now,

0:01:56.200,0:01:58.616
and it's become very clear to you

0:01:58.640,0:02:00.520
that Jenna is extraordinary.

0:02:01.200,0:02:03.216
She's incredibly intelligent.

0:02:03.240,0:02:06.496
If you're honest with yourself,[br]she's smarter than you,

0:02:06.520,0:02:08.080
and she's five years old.

0:02:09.039,0:02:12.936
She's beautiful, tall, athletic,

0:02:12.960,0:02:15.440
and the list goes on and on.

0:02:16.280,0:02:18.856
And in fact, there's[br]a whole new generation

0:02:18.880,0:02:21.120
of these GM kids like Jenna.

0:02:21.920,0:02:24.056
And so far it looks like

0:02:24.080,0:02:26.416
they're healthier[br]than their parents' generation,

0:02:26.440,0:02:28.176
than your generation.

0:02:28.200,0:02:30.200
And they have lower health care costs.

0:02:32.040,0:02:34.776
They're immune to a host[br]of health conditions,

0:02:34.800,0:02:38.040
including HIV/AIDS and genetic diseases.

0:02:39.080,0:02:40.760
It all sounds so great,

0:02:41.440,0:02:44.496
but you can't help but have[br]this sort of unsettling feeling,

0:02:44.520,0:02:49.520
a gut feeling, that there's something[br]just not quite right about Jenna,

0:02:50.160,0:02:54.280
and you've had the same feeling[br]about other GM kids that you've met.

0:02:55.120,0:02:58.496
You were also reading[br]in the newspaper earlier this week

0:02:58.520,0:03:02.456
that a study of these children[br]who were born as designer babies

0:03:02.480,0:03:04.336
indicates they may have some issues,

0:03:04.360,0:03:08.040
like increased aggressiveness[br]and narcissism.

0:03:09.640,0:03:11.296
But more immediately on your mind

0:03:11.320,0:03:15.016
is some news that you just got[br]from Jenna's family.

0:03:15.040,0:03:16.536
She's so smart,

0:03:16.560,0:03:19.656
she's now going to be going[br]to a special school,

0:03:19.680,0:03:22.176
a different school[br]than your daughter Marianne,

0:03:22.200,0:03:25.936
and this is kind of throwing[br]your family into a disarray.

0:03:25.960,0:03:27.296
Marianne's been crying,

0:03:27.320,0:03:30.736
and last night when you took her to bed[br]to kiss her goodnight,

0:03:30.760,0:03:35.240
she said, "Daddy, will Jenna[br]even be my friend anymore?"

0:03:36.480,0:03:40.016
So now, as I've been telling you[br]this imagined 2030 story,

0:03:40.040,0:03:42.656
I have a feeling[br]that I may have put some of you

0:03:42.680,0:03:45.256
into this sci-fi[br]frame of reference. Right?

0:03:45.280,0:03:47.776
You think you're reading a sci-fi book.

0:03:47.800,0:03:50.736
Or maybe, like,[br]in Halloween mode of thinking.

0:03:50.760,0:03:53.176
But this is really[br]a possible reality for us,

0:03:53.200,0:03:54.840
just 15 years from now.

0:03:55.480,0:03:58.416
I'm a stem cell and genetics researcher

0:03:58.440,0:04:01.376
and I can see this new CRISPR technology

0:04:01.400,0:04:03.120
and its potential impact.

0:04:03.600,0:04:07.216
And we may find ourselves in that reality,

0:04:07.240,0:04:10.320
and a lot will depend[br]on what we decide to do today.

0:04:11.960,0:04:14.456
And if you're still[br]kind of thinking in sci-fi mode,

0:04:14.480,0:04:18.976
consider that the world of science[br]had a huge shock earlier this year,

0:04:19.000,0:04:21.935
and the public largely[br]doesn't even know about it.

0:04:21.959,0:04:24.736
Researchers in China just a few months ago

0:04:24.760,0:04:29.416
reported the creation[br]of genetically modified human embryos.

0:04:29.440,0:04:31.976
This was the first time in history.

0:04:32.000,0:04:34.680
And they did it using[br]this new CRISPR technology.

0:04:35.560,0:04:37.296
It didn't work perfectly,

0:04:37.320,0:04:40.896
but I still think[br]they sort of cracked the door ajar

0:04:40.920,0:04:42.720
on a Pandora's box here.

0:04:44.480,0:04:47.376
And I think some people[br]are going to run with this technology

0:04:47.400,0:04:49.280
and try to make designer babies.

0:04:50.200,0:04:53.256
Now, before I go on, some of you[br]may hold up your hands and say,

0:04:53.280,0:04:55.536
"Stop, Paul, wait a minute.

0:04:55.560,0:04:57.376
Wouldn't that be illegal?

0:04:57.400,0:05:01.040
You can't just go off[br]and create a designer baby."

0:05:01.656,0:05:03.656
And in fact, to some extent, you're right.

0:05:03.680,0:05:06.000
In some countries, you couldn't do that.

0:05:06.520,0:05:09.776
But in many other countries,[br]including my country, the US,

0:05:09.800,0:05:13.680
there's actually no law on this,[br]so in theory, you could do it.

0:05:14.680,0:05:19.136
And there was another development[br]this year that resonates in this area,

0:05:19.160,0:05:21.960
and that happened[br]not so far from here over in the UK.

0:05:22.480,0:05:25.576
And the UK traditionally[br]has been the strictest country

0:05:25.600,0:05:28.416
when it comes to human[br]genetic modification.

0:05:28.440,0:05:30.376
It was illegal there,

0:05:30.400,0:05:31.976
but just a few months ago,

0:05:32.000,0:05:34.456
they carved out an exception to that rule.

0:05:34.480,0:05:36.016
They passed a new law

0:05:36.040,0:05:39.496
allowing the creation[br]of genetically modified humans

0:05:39.520,0:05:43.640
with the noble goal of trying[br]to prevent a rare kind of genetic disease.

0:05:44.400,0:05:48.096
But still I think in combination[br]these events are pushing us

0:05:48.120,0:05:50.656
further towards an acceptance

0:05:50.680,0:05:52.600
of human genetic modification.

0:05:53.840,0:05:56.736
So I've been talking[br]about this CRISPR technology.

0:05:56.760,0:05:58.800
What actually is CRISPR?

0:05:59.360,0:06:02.696
So if you think about the GMOs[br]that we're all more familiar with,

0:06:02.720,0:06:05.936
like GMO tomatoes and wheat

0:06:05.960,0:06:07.896
and things like that,

0:06:07.920,0:06:10.536
this technology[br]is similar to the technologies

0:06:10.560,0:06:12.416
that were used to make those,

0:06:12.440,0:06:14.816
but it's dramatically better,

0:06:14.840,0:06:16.800
cheaper and faster.

0:06:18.120,0:06:19.656
So what is it?

0:06:19.680,0:06:22.136
It's actually like[br]a genetic Swiss army knife.

0:06:22.160,0:06:24.416
We can pretend this is a Swiss army knife

0:06:24.440,0:06:25.776
with different tools in it,

0:06:25.800,0:06:28.936
and one of the tools[br]is kind of like a magnifying glass

0:06:28.960,0:06:31.400
or a GPS for our DNA,

0:06:31.880,0:06:34.456
so it can home in on a certain spot.

0:06:34.480,0:06:36.136
And the next tool is like scissors

0:06:36.160,0:06:39.416
that can cut the DNA right in that spot.

0:06:39.440,0:06:41.016
And finally we have a pen

0:06:41.040,0:06:45.536
where we can literally rewrite[br]the genetic code in that location.

0:06:45.560,0:06:46.800
It's really that simple.

0:06:47.680,0:06:51.336
And this technology, which came[br]on the scene just three years ago,

0:06:51.360,0:06:53.200
has taken science by storm.

0:06:54.000,0:06:58.256
It's evolving so fast, and it's[br]so freaking exciting to scientists,

0:06:58.280,0:07:02.080
and I admit I'm fascinated by it[br]and we use it in my own lab,

0:07:03.040,0:07:06.616
that I think someone[br]is going to go that extra step

0:07:06.640,0:07:09.216
and continue the GM human embryo work

0:07:09.240,0:07:11.640
and maybe make designer babies.

0:07:13.080,0:07:14.736
This is so ubiquitous now.

0:07:14.760,0:07:17.176
It just came on the scene three years ago.

0:07:17.200,0:07:21.536
Thousands of labs[br]literally have this in hand today,

0:07:21.560,0:07:23.936
and they're doing important research.

0:07:23.960,0:07:26.576
Most of them are not interested[br]in designer babies.

0:07:26.600,0:07:29.096
They're studying human disease

0:07:29.120,0:07:31.536
and other important elements of science.

0:07:31.560,0:07:34.160
So there's a lot of good research[br]going on with CRISPR.

0:07:35.000,0:07:38.416
And the fact that we can[br]now do genetic modifications

0:07:38.440,0:07:42.216
that used to take years[br]and cost millions of dollars

0:07:42.240,0:07:45.256
in a few weeks[br]for a couple thousand bucks,

0:07:45.280,0:07:47.416
to me as a scientist that's fantastic,

0:07:47.440,0:07:49.576
but again, at the same time,

0:07:49.600,0:07:52.720
it opens the door to people going too far.

0:07:53.320,0:07:54.736
And I think for some people

0:07:54.760,0:07:57.776
the focus is not going to be[br]so much on science.

0:07:57.800,0:07:59.816
That's not what's going[br]to be driving them.

0:07:59.840,0:08:03.360
It's going to be ideology[br]or the chase for a profit.

0:08:04.120,0:08:06.680
And they're going to go[br]for designer babies.

0:08:08.240,0:08:12.096
So why should we be concerned about this?

0:08:12.120,0:08:15.336
We know from Darwin,[br]if we go back two centuries,

0:08:15.360,0:08:19.496
that evolution and genetics[br]profoundly have impacted humanity,

0:08:19.520,0:08:21.656
who we are today.

0:08:21.680,0:08:25.616
And some think there's like[br]a social Darwinism at work in our world,

0:08:25.640,0:08:28.120
and maybe even a eugenics as well.

0:08:28.720,0:08:32.456
Imagine those trends, those forces,

0:08:32.480,0:08:35.456
with a booster rocket[br]of this CRISPR technology

0:08:35.480,0:08:38.200
that is so powerful and so ubiquitous.

0:08:39.000,0:08:42.895
And in fact, we can just go back[br]one century to the last century

0:08:42.919,0:08:45.920
to see the power that eugenics can have.

0:08:46.800,0:08:49.256
So my father, Peter Knoepfler,

0:08:49.280,0:08:52.056
was actually born right here in Vienna.

0:08:52.080,0:08:56.576
He was Viennese,[br]and he was born here in 1929.

0:08:56.600,0:09:00.496
And when my grandparents[br]had little baby Peter,

0:09:00.520,0:09:02.256
the world was very different. Right?

0:09:02.280,0:09:03.576
It was a different Vienna.

0:09:03.600,0:09:05.176
The United States was different.

0:09:05.200,0:09:06.456
The world was different.

0:09:06.480,0:09:08.776
There was a eugenics rising,

0:09:08.800,0:09:11.136
and my grandparents realized,

0:09:11.160,0:09:12.576
pretty quickly I think,

0:09:12.600,0:09:16.120
that they were on the wrong side[br]of the eugenics equation.

0:09:16.840,0:09:19.216
And so despite this being their home

0:09:19.240,0:09:21.296
and their whole extended family's home,

0:09:21.320,0:09:25.656
and this area being their family's[br]home for generations,

0:09:25.680,0:09:28.696
they decided because of eugenics

0:09:28.720,0:09:29.960
that they had to leave.

0:09:30.680,0:09:32.816
And they survived,[br]but they were heartbroken,

0:09:32.840,0:09:36.976
and I'm not sure my dad[br]ever really got over leaving Vienna.

0:09:37.000,0:09:39.336
He left when he was just eight years old

0:09:39.360,0:09:40.560
in 1938.

0:09:42.560,0:09:45.616
So today, I see a new eugenics

0:09:45.640,0:09:47.976
kind of bubbling to the surface.

0:09:48.000,0:09:52.976
It's supposed to be a kinder,[br]gentler, positive eugenics,

0:09:53.000,0:09:55.320
different than all that past stuff.

0:09:56.200,0:10:00.576
But I think even though it's focused[br]on trying to improve people,

0:10:00.600,0:10:03.296
it could have negative consequences,

0:10:03.320,0:10:04.576
and it really worries me

0:10:04.600,0:10:07.376
that some of the top proponents[br]of this new eugenics,

0:10:07.400,0:10:10.960
they think CRISPR is the ticket[br]to make it happen.

0:10:12.360,0:10:14.096
So I have to admit, you know,

0:10:14.120,0:10:17.376
eugenics, we talk[br]about making better people.

0:10:17.400,0:10:18.656
It's a tough question.

0:10:18.680,0:10:21.600
What is better when we're talking[br]about a human being?

0:10:22.360,0:10:25.016
But I admit I think maybe a lot of us

0:10:25.040,0:10:27.976
could agree that human beings,

0:10:28.000,0:10:29.976
maybe we could use a little betterment.

0:10:30.000,0:10:32.296
Look at our politicians

0:10:32.320,0:10:34.376
here, you know, back in the US --

0:10:34.400,0:10:38.016
God forbid we go there right now.

0:10:38.040,0:10:40.016
Maybe even if we just look in the mirror,

0:10:40.040,0:10:42.576
there might be ways[br]we think we could be better.

0:10:42.600,0:10:47.416
I might wish, honestly, that I had[br]more hair here, instead of baldness.

0:10:47.440,0:10:49.976
Some people might wish they were taller,

0:10:50.000,0:10:52.840
have a different weight, a different face.

0:10:53.880,0:10:57.336
If we could do those things,[br]we could make those things happen,

0:10:57.360,0:10:59.616
or we could make them happen[br]in our children,

0:10:59.640,0:11:01.440
it would be very seductive.

0:11:02.040,0:11:04.936
And yet coming with it[br]would be these risks.

0:11:04.960,0:11:06.856
I talked about eugenics,

0:11:06.880,0:11:09.696
but there would be risks[br]to individuals as well.

0:11:09.720,0:11:12.176
So if we forget about enhancing people

0:11:12.200,0:11:16.656
and we just try to make them[br]healthier using genetic modification,

0:11:16.680,0:11:19.136
this technology is so new

0:11:19.160,0:11:20.736
and so powerful,

0:11:20.760,0:11:23.520
that by accident[br]we could make them sicker.

0:11:24.520,0:11:26.656
That easily could happen.

0:11:26.680,0:11:27.936
And there's another risk,

0:11:27.960,0:11:32.536
and that is that all of the legitimate,[br]important genetic modification research

0:11:32.560,0:11:34.216
going on just in the lab --

0:11:34.240,0:11:37.256
again, no interest in designer babies --

0:11:37.280,0:11:40.136
a few people going[br]the designer baby route,

0:11:40.160,0:11:41.536
things go badly,

0:11:41.560,0:11:44.520
that entire field could be damaged.

0:11:45.440,0:11:47.896
I also think it's not that unlikely

0:11:47.920,0:11:52.200
that governments might start taking[br]an interest in genetic modification.

0:11:52.880,0:11:57.816
So for example our imagined GM Jenna child

0:11:57.840,0:11:59.056
who is healthier,

0:11:59.080,0:12:03.096
if there's a generation that looks[br]like they have lower health care costs,

0:12:03.120,0:12:07.336
it's possible that governments[br]may start trying to compel their citizens

0:12:07.360,0:12:09.256
to go the GM route.

0:12:09.280,0:12:11.296
Look at China's one-child policy.

0:12:11.320,0:12:17.040
It's thought that that prevented[br]the birth of 400 million human beings.

0:12:18.200,0:12:20.976
So it's not beyond the realm of possible

0:12:21.000,0:12:25.256
that genetic modification[br]could be something that governments push.

0:12:25.280,0:12:28.776
And if designer babies become popular,

0:12:28.800,0:12:30.616
in our digital age --

0:12:30.640,0:12:33.296
viral videos, social media --

0:12:33.320,0:12:35.896
what if designer babies[br]are thought to be fashionable,

0:12:35.920,0:12:38.056
and they kind of become[br]the new glitterati,

0:12:38.080,0:12:39.816
the new Kardashians or something?

0:12:39.840,0:12:40.856
(Laughter)

0:12:40.880,0:12:45.416
You know, are those trends[br]that we really could control?

0:12:45.440,0:12:47.520
I'm not convinced that we could.

0:12:48.640,0:12:51.816
So again, today it's Halloween

0:12:51.840,0:12:54.296
and when we talk[br]about genetic modification,

0:12:54.320,0:12:57.456
there's one Halloween-associated character

0:12:57.480,0:13:00.136
that is talked about[br]or invoked more than anything else,

0:13:00.160,0:13:02.000
and that is Frankenstein.

0:13:02.600,0:13:07.016
Mostly that's been Frankenfoods[br]and all this other stuff.

0:13:07.040,0:13:11.616
But if we think about this now[br]and we think about it in the human context

0:13:11.640,0:13:12.896
on a day like Halloween,

0:13:12.920,0:13:18.336
if parents can in essence[br]costume their children genetically,

0:13:18.360,0:13:23.120
are we going to be talking about[br]a Frankenstein 2.0 kind of situation?

0:13:24.240,0:13:27.416
I don't think so. I don't think[br]it's going to get to that extreme.

0:13:27.440,0:13:31.416
But when we are going about[br]hacking the human code,

0:13:31.440,0:13:34.696
I think all bets are off[br]in terms of what might come of that.

0:13:34.720,0:13:36.360
There would still be dangers.

0:13:37.720,0:13:39.056
And we can look in the past

0:13:39.080,0:13:41.696
to other elements[br]of transformative science

0:13:41.720,0:13:45.536
and see how they can[br]basically go out of control

0:13:45.560,0:13:47.120
and permeate society.

0:13:47.560,0:13:51.360
So I'll just give you one example,[br]and that is in vitro fertilization.

0:13:52.480,0:13:56.096
Almost exactly 40 years ago,

0:13:56.120,0:13:59.816
test tube baby number one[br]Louise Brown was born,

0:13:59.840,0:14:01.096
and that's a great thing,

0:14:01.120,0:14:06.656
and I think since then[br]five million IVF babies have been born,

0:14:06.680,0:14:08.336
bringing immeasurable happiness.

0:14:08.360,0:14:11.496
A lot of parents now can love those kids.

0:14:11.520,0:14:13.576
But if you think about it,[br]in four decades,

0:14:13.600,0:14:17.496
five million babies being born[br]from a new technology

0:14:17.520,0:14:19.336
is pretty remarkable,

0:14:19.360,0:14:21.576
and the same kind of thing could happen

0:14:21.600,0:14:25.176
with human genetic modification[br]and designer babies.

0:14:25.200,0:14:28.376
So depending on the decisions[br]we make in the next few months,

0:14:28.400,0:14:29.696
the next year or so,

0:14:29.720,0:14:32.856
if designer baby number one is born,

0:14:32.880,0:14:34.096
within a few decades,

0:14:34.120,0:14:37.776
there could well be millions[br]of genetically modified humans.

0:14:37.800,0:14:42.256
And there's a difference there too,[br]because if we, you in the audience, or I,

0:14:42.280,0:14:45.176
if we decide to have a designer baby,

0:14:45.200,0:14:49.216
then their children will also[br]be genetically modified, and so on,

0:14:49.240,0:14:50.536
because it's heritable.

0:14:50.560,0:14:52.040
So that's a big difference.

0:14:53.600,0:14:55.496
So with all of this in mind,

0:14:55.520,0:14:57.080
what should we do?

0:14:58.120,0:14:59.936
There's actually going to be a meeting

0:14:59.960,0:15:02.856
a month from tomorrow in Washington, D.C.

0:15:02.880,0:15:04.816
by the US National Academy of Sciences

0:15:04.840,0:15:07.456
to tackle that exact question.

0:15:07.480,0:15:11.160
What is the right path forward[br]with human genetic modification?

0:15:12.000,0:15:14.416
I believe at this time

0:15:14.440,0:15:15.896
we need a moratorium.

0:15:15.920,0:15:17.416
We have to ban this.

0:15:17.440,0:15:21.016
We should not allow[br]creating genetically modified people,

0:15:21.040,0:15:24.360
because it's just too dangerous[br]and too unpredictable.

0:15:25.360,0:15:26.816
But there's a lot of people --

0:15:26.840,0:15:27.976
(Applause)

0:15:28.000,0:15:29.216
Thanks.

0:15:29.240,0:15:32.640
(Applause)

0:15:35.880,0:15:38.176
And let me say, just as a scientist,

0:15:38.200,0:15:40.696
it's a little bit scary[br]for me to say that in public,

0:15:40.720,0:15:45.960
because science generally doesn't like[br]self-regulation and things like that.

0:15:47.240,0:15:50.376
So I think we need to put a hold on this,

0:15:50.400,0:15:53.136
but there are many people[br]who not only disagree with me,

0:15:53.160,0:15:54.656
they feel the exact opposite.

0:15:54.680,0:15:58.016
They're like, step on the gas,[br]full speed ahead,

0:15:58.040,0:15:59.656
let's make designer babies.

0:15:59.680,0:16:02.616
And so in the meeting in December

0:16:02.640,0:16:06.096
and other meetings that are likely[br]to follow in the next few months,

0:16:06.120,0:16:09.256
it's very possible[br]there may be no moratorium.

0:16:09.280,0:16:12.336
And I think part[br]of the problem that we have

0:16:12.360,0:16:14.416
is that all of this trend,

0:16:14.440,0:16:18.536
this revolution in genetic modification[br]applying to humans,

0:16:18.560,0:16:20.176
the public hasn't known about it.

0:16:20.200,0:16:22.016
Nobody has been saying,

0:16:22.040,0:16:26.096
look, this is a big deal,[br]this is a revolution,

0:16:26.120,0:16:28.376
and this could affect you[br]in very personal ways.

0:16:28.400,0:16:31.216
And so part of my goal[br]is actually to change that

0:16:31.240,0:16:34.176
and to educate and engage with the public

0:16:34.200,0:16:37.000
and get you guys talking about this.

0:16:37.520,0:16:41.296
And so I hope at these meetings[br]that there will be a role for the public

0:16:41.320,0:16:43.840
to bring their voice to bear as well.

0:16:45.680,0:16:50.240
So if we kind of circle back now[br]to 2030 again, that imagined story,

0:16:51.200,0:16:54.216
and depending on the decisions[br]we make, again, today --

0:16:54.240,0:16:56.176
literally we don't have a lot of time --

0:16:56.200,0:16:58.296
in the next few months,[br]the next year or so,

0:16:58.320,0:17:00.840
because this technology[br]is spreading like wildfire.

0:17:01.560,0:17:04.496
Let's pretend we're back in that reality.

0:17:04.520,0:17:06.336
We're at a park,

0:17:06.359,0:17:09.640
and our kid is swinging on the swing.

0:17:10.599,0:17:13.215
Is that kid a regular old kid,

0:17:13.240,0:17:16.695
or did we decide to have a designer baby?

0:17:16.720,0:17:20.175
And let's say we went[br]the sort of traditional route,

0:17:20.200,0:17:22.695
and there's our kid swinging on the swing,

0:17:22.720,0:17:25.536
and frankly, they're kind of a mess.

0:17:25.560,0:17:28.256
Their hair is all over[br]the place like mine.

0:17:28.280,0:17:30.496
They have a stuffy nose.

0:17:30.520,0:17:32.560
They're not the best student in the world.

0:17:33.240,0:17:35.456
They're adorable, you love them,

0:17:35.480,0:17:37.416
but there on the swing next to them,

0:17:37.440,0:17:40.456
their best friend is a GM kid,

0:17:40.480,0:17:42.896
and the two of them[br]are kind of swinging like this,

0:17:42.920,0:17:44.936
and you can't help[br]but compare them, right?

0:17:44.960,0:17:47.456
And the GM kid is swinging higher,

0:17:47.480,0:17:49.656
they look better,[br]they're a better student,

0:17:49.680,0:17:52.656
they don't have that stuffy nose[br]you need to wipe.

0:17:52.680,0:17:54.936
How is that going to make you feel

0:17:54.960,0:17:57.680
and what decision[br]might you make next time?

0:17:58.840,0:18:00.056
Thank you.

0:18:00.080,0:18:05.997
(Applause)