A disquieting proposal has entered public discourse: that humanity, facing the rise of Artificial Intelligence, must engage in a biological arms race. The idea? To create "high IQ babies" to compete with superintelligent machines. This report argues this is a dangerous echo of the 20th century's darkest chapter.
The impulse to "improve" the human lineage is not new. It's a long, shadowed history that provides essential context for today's debate.
The Greek philosopher envisioned an ideal state with controlled mating to produce a superior guardian class, an early blueprint for selective breeding.
Sir Francis Galton, Darwin's cousin, coins the term, arguing that intelligence is hereditary and civilization is threatened by the "less fit" out-reproducing the "more fit."
The U.S. becomes a leader in negative eugenics. Indiana passes the world's first compulsory sterilization law. The Supreme Court's Buck v. BellA 1927 decision that upheld a Virginia statute for the compulsory sterilization of the "unfit" for the "protection and health of the state." Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. famously wrote, "Three generations of imbeciles are enough." decision upholds the practice, leading to the forced sterilization of over 0 Americans.
Drawing direct inspiration from American programs, the Nazi regime implements "racial hygiene" on a horrific scale. It begins with the sterilization of 0 Germans and culminates in the Holocaust, the systematic genocide of six million Jews and millions of others deemed "unworthy of life."
Aldous Huxley's dystopia warns of a society that achieves stability by sacrificing humanity. A rigid, biologically-determined caste system, from intelligent Alphas to menial Epsilons, is created in hatcheries. Individuality is erased for sterile, drug-induced happiness.
This film became a cultural touchstone for "genoism"—a future where society is divided into genetically engineered "Valids" and naturally conceived "In-Valids." One's DNA dictates one's destiny, but the film's message is clear: "There is no gene for the human spirit."
Preimplantation Genetic DiagnosisAn established medical procedure used with IVF to screen embryos for specific genetic conditions before implantation. It's a technology of selection, not editing. allows parents to select embryos free of specific diseases. It works within the existing genetic lottery; it doesn't rewrite the code.
CRISPRA revolutionary gene-editing tool that acts like "molecular scissors" to cut and paste DNA sequences. It offers the power to directly alter the genome. technology offers the ability to directly edit DNA. Its potential for treating diseases is immense, but it also opens the door to heritable genetic enhancement, a far more radical prospect.
"High IQ" is not a simple edit. It's a polygenic trait influenced by thousands of genes, each with a tiny effect. The idea of easily engineering intelligence is, for now, scientific fantasy. But AI is accelerating our understanding, meaning we cannot rely on technical difficulty as our only ethical firewall.
The path forward is not a biological arms race. It's accepting the likely end of human cognitive supremacy and pivoting to what makes us truly human: our consciousness, our creativity, our empathy, our wisdom.
Enact a binding international treaty prohibiting heritable human enhancement.
Pivot resources from speculative enhancement to the urgent challenge of AI alignment and governance.
Focus on human-complementary skills: critical thinking, creativity, and emotional intelligence.
Build a society where technology serves all, ensuring dignity regardless of economic productivity.