A few days ago some huge news was released, but no one really picked up on this it seems.
So there is this giant Genomic Sequencing company called Illumina. (stock ticker ILMN)
It's in San Diego, but something like 90% of the world's genomic sequencing is done on Illumina's equipment.
They just announced launching their own AI (a neural networks similar to Google's AlphaFold2 or even ChatGPT).
Here is a video that explains how Google's AlphaFold2 directly led to Illumina launching this AI and what is likely to happen next:
There are massive implications to this.
Basically genomics and DNA is this massive pool of data that we don't understand because we have to way of sorting this large amounts of data to gain important insights.
Then somewhere around 2017 there were a few large breakthroughs in AI tech. That's why we are seeing all these new things like ChatGPT, MidJourney, Stable Diffusion and Google's AlphaFold2 etc.
Now that technology is getting applied to sifting through all the massive DNA data we have.
This plus technology like CRISPR, which is able to modify DNA by cutting and injecting new DNA sequences.
So, right now we can write/edit the code that all life runs on and with Neural Networks and Genomics we should be able to learn what each bit of code means.
So once we are able to do that, genetic engineering will become very effective and simple, genetic advancements accelerate exponentially.
(by the way all the legendary billionaire investors have already sniffed this out, Peter Thiel, Carl Icahn and Stanley Drukenmiller are all either buying up Illumina or trying to launch competing products)
Some of the things that will be possible:
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human genetic engineering - change eye color, height, muscle, intelligence etc. Basically you can design humans like you can video game characters. Whether this will only be possible for embryos or we will be actually to modify adults is not apparent yet, but most disease will be gone and most people will likely have close to "perfect genes" in terms on not being sick, not having any weaknesses etc.
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bacteria for everything - right now we know it's possible to have bacteria eat plastics, other bacteria to produce biofuel. We just can't do it at scale, it's very difficult. With genetic engineering this could accelerate allowing us to clean up oceans, clean the air from CO2 etc. (this was suggested by researchers at Google's DeepMind, they said it might be possible with advancements in this tech)
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recreate extinct species - This sounds like... Jurassic Park? But in a good way hopefully.
And tons of things that we can't even image. Basically DNA codes everything that life is able to do, so there isnt' really a limit to what we can do if we are able to understand how it works.
I'm curious what people think about this?
This seems like massive, massive news...
Most people interested in AI are looking at Google, NVIDIA, OpenAI etc.
But AI neural networks in Bio-Tech seem like where the biggest applications of this tech will be seen.
Are we about to experience a massive Bio-Tech revolution driven by AI neural networks?
I mean, I would be happy to have robots/AI take over all work etc... but if I'm too sick/tired to really enjoy it then it really loses a lot of the appeal.
I want to be able to be super fit, super healthy, energetic and beautiful human being AND have the robots take care of all the stuff I don't want to do.
While Big Tech is working on automation AI, Bio-Tech needs to be making sure we are healthy/alive in order to enjoy it.
Question to all people who are 50+ 60+ etc. Would you take an experimental gene therapy treatment that would basically restore you to your 30 year old self, but in better shape etc?
Like if there was a 1% chance of massive complications, you were let's say 65 years old and not feeling good, would you roll the dice?
(I would 100%)