The TechMobility Podcast
Welcome to The TechMobility Podcast, your ultimate source for authentic insights, news, and perspectives at the nexus of mobility and technology. We're all about REAL FACTS, REAL OPINIONS, and REAL TALK! From personal privacy to space hotels, if it moves or moves you, we're discussing it! Our weekly episodes venture beyond the conventional, offering a unique, unfiltered take on the topics that matter. We're not afraid to color outside the lines, and we believe you'll appreciate our bold approach!
The TechMobility Podcast
When Innovation Crosses the Line: Cars, Robots, and Children by Design
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The relentless march of technology is transforming our world in ways both miraculous and unsettling, and this week's deep dive reveals just how profound these changes may become.
Automobile design is at a crossroads as Hyundai announces plans to eliminate physical buttons in favor of Tesla-style touchscreens beginning with 2026 models. Their new "Pleos Connect" system promises smartphone-like functionality with multiple apps running simultaneously on a central display. But should we sacrifice the tactile feedback and muscle memory that physical buttons provide? When you're navigating rush-hour traffic, do you want to hunt through menus just to adjust your heat? This shift prioritizes manufacturing efficiency and aesthetic minimalism over what many consider essential safety features - the ability to control vital functions without taking your eyes off the road.
Meanwhile, China's first-ever World Humanoid Robot Olympics showcased both the impressive advances and current limitations of robotics technology. Over 280 teams from 16 countries competed in events ranging from sprinting to practical tasks like sorting medicine. While some robots impressed with speeds reaching 10 mph, others stumbled or took comically long times to complete simple tasks. But don't be fooled by these awkward early performances - this competition represents a watershed moment in robotics development, allowing researchers to stress-test designs and learn from failures. China has declared its intention to lead the world in humanoid robots by 2027, and after seeing the global competition up close, they may achieve that goal sooner than we expect.
Perhaps most disturbing is Silicon Valley's growing obsession with genetic "optimization," where wealthy parents pay up to $50,000 to screen embryos specifically for high IQ potential. This trend reflects Silicon Valley's intense focus on intelligence as the ultimate measure of human worth and raises profound questions about creating genetic castes within society. As genetic technologies advance, what begins with screening could evolve into active modification, potentially creating a world where only the wealthy can afford children with enhanced cognitive abilities. We must ask ourselves: does this path truly enhance humanity, or does it fundamentally threaten the values of equality and human dignity?
Call us at 872-222-9793 or email talk@techmobilityshow.com to join the conversation about these transformative technologies and the ethical questions they raise. The future is arriving faster than we realize - are we ready?
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Welcome to the TechMobility Podcast.
Speaker 2:I'm Ken Chester On the docket China's Robot Olympics, waymo Ready's RoboTaxis for Winner and Silicon Valley's obsession with high IQ babies. To join the conversation, call or text the TechMobility hotline, that number, 872-222-9793, or you can email the show directly. Talk at techmobilityshow. For those of you on Substack, you can find me at Ken C Iowa. That's K-E-N, the letter C-I-O-W-A From the Tech Mobility News Desk.
Speaker 2:Hyundai might ditch buttons for a massive Tesla-style screen. Here's a question how do you feel about touchscreens? Do you think that going all touchscreens and eliminate all the buttons is a good thing? Me, personally, I want my buttons, I want my buttons. Vehicles today have a certain redundancy and certain switches, particularly when it comes to radio controls, sometimes also cruise controls, and it's a good thing because, depending on what you're doing at the time, you might use the buttons, you might use the steering wheel controls, you might use the screen, but not always all the same time in the same place Hyundai is talking about no, we're going to go all in. We're going to get rid of all the buttons. We're going to go one screen. We're going to get rid of all the buttons. We're going to go one screen. That's it. You're going to operate from this screen.
Speaker 2:I had an opportunity a few years back to test drive a Tesla Model Y and I'm sorry to y'all, if you're driving a Tesla, bless your heart I was underwhelmed. I was totally underwhelmed. While it was roomy and it had a lot going for it and the computer was pretty smart, I was put off by just that one screen in the center Kind of reminded me of the old Toyota Echos that had it and in fact the Nissan, the early Nissan minivans had it in the early part of the decade, where everything was in the middle and I think some models, early Saturn models had everything in the middle as opposed to in front of the driver. I'm not okay with that. I like certain amount of information in front of me. I don't want my eyes to have to wonder at all. The automaker's new Playos Connect system is going to debut for the 2026 model year and, like I said, they're baking most of the major functions into the screen and, according to Hyundai, this is a dramatic new direction. With its infotainment system it combines the user interface, combines the infotainment system, vehicle operating system and an application development platform into one seamless package and, as I always say, what could possibly go wrong? The first two vehicles to receive it aren't even going well. The first one to receive it is not going to be in the United States, it's going to be the Hyundai European i30, which will be the next generation Elantra when it gets here, and the next generation Tucson. Hyundai hopes to have the technology in more than 20 million cars by the end of the decade.
Speaker 2:Hey, hyundai, let me give you a history lesson. I want to take you back 24 years. The year was 2001,. And BMW came out with their multimedia interface button and dial. It was awful. It was awful. It was completely user unfriendly. They spent a lot of time getting it right and it took years. Audi came out with something similar, but they were smarter about it and gave you buttons around it, which made it more palatable. But I do remember reviewing a full-size BMW sedan back in 2001 to the point where I would have preferred the prior year in the way it was.
Speaker 2:That MMI interface was not a friend of mine for many years, years and honestly it's one of those deal killers that in some cars anymore, just one feature alone like that would be enough for me not to buy it. I am not convinced that going to one screen. I understand it from a manufacturing standpoint. I understand it from a user standpoint If you're a certain age or younger where you're used to fooling with the screen. But if you're expected to be driving because these vehicles are not autonomous, then I want some information in front of me and I don't want to necessarily have to have to look at the screen to find out where my fingers are to select what I'm selecting, to make sure, one, I'm selecting the right screen. Two, my fingers are in the right place for what I want. And, three, that I'm actually pressing in a way that it's activated, because a lot of times, if you're driving with a touchscreen and you're trying to touch it, you may not be exerting enough pressure and nothing's happening because you've got your eyes on the road.
Speaker 2:I'm not okay with this. The technology sounds revolutionary and much of it is, but, as we've seen so many times before, this could mean bad news for fans of buttons. Now Hyundai says that they're adamant that they will keep buttons in its vehicles. Okay, stop. Which buttons, hyundai? I definitely want radio buttons. I definitely want the stuff that I'm going to use all the time climate control buttons. See, I've got a 2018 Chevy Equinox. You've heard me talk about it.
Speaker 2:The one thing that Chevy kind of lifted from Jeep is in the front part of my steering wheel by feel I don't have to take my eyes off the road, I have to look at nothing are my radio controls. On the right-hand side, I've got radio controls that will change the station. The other side, it will change the volume. I don't have to take my eyes off the road. Everything I need is in front of me. In terms of setting cruise control, it's really easy, very easy. If I want to activate my Bluetooth, again, it's the steering wheel in front of me. In terms of setting cruise control, it's really easy, very easy. If I want to activate my Bluetooth again, it's the steering wheel in front of me. It's not in an infotainment screen, it's in my face. It's a button and, honest to goodness, I think that's going to be necessary. Now I do understand, with AI and chatbots and Aegeanic AI, that you can speak to the thing. Okay, to a degree, but Bluetooth isn't always working properly.
Speaker 2:I like the ability to have a button, have a button at my disposal within my rank and within my site range when I'm driving, and to the point where I don't even have to go. Look, I know my steering wheel well enough. I can press buttons because I know where they are and I know how they function. It's wonderful, it's fantastic. I love it. I'm not okay. The article talks about that. They are skeptical because they said Tesla style and I know I've experienced Tesla style. I'm not a fan.
Speaker 2:They previewed the concept back a few months ago and they said that the sizable display controls nearly all in-vehicle functions and takes up a significant portion of the dashboard. They only had two buttons volume and tuning knob. Okay, said to mimic a modern smartphone, playos Connect will allow for multi-window functions and multiple apps running simultaneously on the same screen. What could possibly go wrong? I'm trying to drive here Now. I got to remember which screens I got open. No, that's not okay. Which screens I got open? No, that's not okay.
Speaker 2:There is a reason why in most states, you cannot have to use your cell phone while you drive. This won't be any better. It won't. I just don't get it. It will also have a built-in Glio AI system that can accurately recognize voice commands and perform functions more complex than Hyundai's current voice command system. I'll believe it when I see it.
Speaker 2:The problem with that stuff is that you have to be connected to the cloud. You have to be connected to the internet and depending where you're at, your connection speed, your connection results, your ability to access the network could all be an issue. We are in the upper Midwest, we have dead spots out here and some of us are really in the country for real, and it's not going to be okay and I'm not convinced that that's the right way. I mean, just because you can don't necessarily mean you should. Hyundai, just a point.
Speaker 2:But I'm curious Would you be in favor of a vehicle cockpit granted that you're still driving it's not autonomous that has almost every function in the vehicle in a central, oversized infotainment screen? Me, I vote no. I absolutely positively vote no Because I think it can go too far. I think there is something to be said for a certain amount of redundancy in controls and that if you put too much, what happens if the full thing goes on the fritz in six to seven years? Does that mean that now your vehicle's a brick because you can't see anything, you don't know what's going on, you can't set anything? Ew, that's another concern. You know redundancy is good. China recently hosted a robot Olympics with competitors from around the globe. Do we have anything to worry about. You are listening to the Tech Mobility Show.
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Speaker 2:Social media is the main place to be these days, and we are no exception. I'm Ken Chester of the Tech Mobility Show. If you enjoy my program, then you will also enjoy my weekly Facebook videos, from my latest vehicle reviews to timely commentary of a variety of mobility and technology-related topics. These short features are designed to inform and delight. You Be sure to watch, like and follow us on Facebook. You can find us by typing the Tech Mobility Show in the search bar. Be sure to subscribe to our Facebook page. Social media is the place to be these days, and we're no exception. I'm Ken Chester of the Tech Mobility Show. If you enjoy my program, then you will also enjoy my weekly Instagram videos, from the latest vehicle reviews to timely commentary on a variety of mobility and technology related topics. These short features are designed to inform and delight. You Be sure to watch, like and follow us on Instagram. You can find us by typing the Tech Mobility Show in the search bar.
Speaker 2:For those of you that listen to podcasts, we have just the one for you. Hi, I'm Ken Chester. Tech Mobility Topics is a podcast where I upload topic-specific videos each week, shorter than a full show. These bite-sized programs are just the thing, particularly if you're interested in a particular topic covered on the weekly radio show. From Apple Podcasts to iHeartRadio and many podcast platforms in between, we got you covered Just enter Tech Mobility Topics in the search bar wherever you listen to podcasts.
Speaker 1:Dude, what do you got in that? Thing, I got an amp, guitar, surfboard ladder and 12 2x4s.
Speaker 2:Velocity meets versatility. The all-new Hemi-powered Dodge Magnum Open it up from either end. Want more? Get going. You only have until August 31st to get $1,000 bonus cash on the new Hemi-powered Dodge Magnum.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's got a Hemi. And for those of you that may not remember the Dodge Magnum, they made it for a few years. It was actually the first vehicle before the Charger, before the Challenger, before the Chrysler 300, on that new former Mercedes E-Class platform that Daimler gave Chrysler kind of as a consolation prize. It was a heck of a deal. It was a very in-your-face go-anywhere, do-almost-anything wagon. It was a fast wagon, but they only made it for a few years, and the next year they brought out the Charger and the 300, and that's what most people remember. Very few people remember the wagon, but back in that day we weren't even sure they were going to build a four-door, let alone a two-door. After that the wagon was the first thing, and they were quiet about the sedans for a while. But the sedans would show up the next year and, as they say, the rest is history. So Dodge Magnum fun little fact the wagon came out before the sedans did, before the Dodge Challenger did. Thought you should know.
Speaker 2:China recently hosted its first ever World Humanoid Robot Games over a three-day period in Beijing. More than 280 teams from 16 countries and, yes, it included the United States, germany and Brazil entered robots into the event. Big question though Should we be worried about their capabilities? This is topic A. Short answer no, but what's going on here? Short answer no, but what's going on here? You knew it was bound to happen at some point. As robots were getting more and more capable, they were going to want to flaunt or show or display what they can and, more importantly, can't do, and a lot of the teams, believe it or not, were from universities. They were engineering and research teams from universities, although a couple of companies did compete and, as you could imagine, the performance of these robots were all over the place. Some did incredibly well, some did incredibly bad. In fact, a few, in certain situations, ran into each other and some just fell out. So, if you're thinking of iRobot and the personal robot caretaker and all of that, no, no no not a problem.
Speaker 2:Not a problem. It's not a good thing. But let me give you some examples. Like I said, a majority of the teams came from universities, but several teams came from established companies like Unitree and Fournier Intelligence. Hundreds of robots competed in traditional sporting events like running, soccer and table tennis, along with events for more practical tasks like cleaning or sorting medicine. Unitree snagged four gold medals in four categories, including the 1,500-meter, 400-meter, 100-meter and 4x100-meter dash events. According to Unitree, the fastest speed achieved by one of its robots during the event was roughly 10 miles an hour. Now let me give you some context. In the 100-meter sprint, unitree boasted a 33.71-second time, but that's nowhere near the world record holder. Usain Bolt did it in 9.58 seconds, one-fourth the time it took a robot to do it, and that was achieved in 2009. Really, the reason why they were there is most teams took this event as an opportunity to showcase their abilities of their design and here's an important point while also stress testing their robots in a competitive environment. Why is that important? Because until you know what the machinery will do that you've engineered in real world, under stress, under pressure, in real time, then you don't know where to go from here.
Speaker 2:This first ever robotics competition is actually a watershed moment for the development, development of humanoid robots. As these universities, as these companies actually get out there, test and see what works, see what didn't, see how well it performed, see where it failed, it will help leapfrog. Like any other part of research and development, this is more research and development. It's not so much that we should be scared. And they were bragging, they wanted to find out where they stood and this was a great way to compete against what's out there. Who's competing against what? Who's working, what works, what don't, where we failed, where we succeeded. Events like this will only accelerate the development of humanoid robots around the world and in some cases and we'll talk about this in a moment some of these robots that competed actually in these games, in these Olympics, are actually commercial level and are actually being used right now.
Speaker 2:I said 280 teams from 16 countries. That was more than 500 humanoid robots. We talked about the sporting events, but let's talk about some of the practical things which were also part of the Olympics. Now the piece talks about how some were remarkably fast and agile, but this is important Most were clumsy and inconsistent. Here's an example Throwing away nine pieces of trash in a mock hotel room took more than 17 minutes for one robot competitor. In a pharmacy simulation, a robot spent nearly five minutes grabbing three boxes of medicine. In a factory scenario, a robot spent about two minutes placing two containers on designated shelves. Everything that's easy for humans is a challenge for robots. Everything that's easy for humans is a challenge for robots. And that's Diana Kligarn, a PhD student from Germany who helped train soccer-playing robots. Here's something you shouldn't take lightly.
Speaker 2:China said it wants to be a world leader in humanoid robots by 2027. The Olympic-style event, however, suggested that truly useful humanoids are still years away. I disagree with the article. Let me tell you why. China got to see on a global stage what everybody else was doing, their level of sophistication, what was working. And if you don't think they were taking notes, if you don't think they were studying particularly the stuff that was working, particularly the stuff that they could take and infuse into their projects, their initiatives, then you're sadly mistaken. It's events like this that accelerate the process. The article says years away. Okay, I'll give you within 10 years, but I don't think it'd be much more than that and, honestly, at the speed of everything and I'm thinking in the back of my head what happened when Chinese company broke out with AI and an AI model that was more efficient for a fraction of the money than what our big AI data companies are doing right now in the United States. I'm talking about a fraction and it was as good, if not better. Don't sell them short y'all. This was an opportunity. But I guarantee you, if they have this next year and it looks like they will you will see some significant advances every single year, because ain't nobody standing still? They're infusing AI, they're infusing large language models, they're infusing all the tech they can find, and as the tech gets better, the robots will get better and it will get better faster than you can even imagine. Like I said, I think 10 years is on the long side. I think it will be less than that and it may be by the end of this decade, if, again, not sooner. It may not be 2027, but it could very well be 2030, 2031, 2032. After years of operation in sunny climes and warm, hot weather, waymo is turning its sights towards winter climate conditions.
Speaker 2:This is the TechMobility Show. Do you listen to podcasts? Seems that most people do. Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host of the TechMobility Show. If you've missed any of our weekly episodes on the radio, our podcast is a great way to listen. You can find the Tech Mobility podcast just about anywhere you can enjoy podcasts. Be sure to follow us from Apple Podcasts, iheart Radio and many platforms in between. We are there. Just enter the Tech Mobility podcast in the search bar. Wherever you listen to podcasts, social media, it's the place to be. We no exception. Hi, I'm ken chester, host the tech mobility show. Several times a week, I post to tiktok several of the topics that I cover on my weekly radio show. It's another way to keep up on mobility, technology news and information. I've built quite a library of short videos for your viewing pleasure, so be sure to watch, like and subscribe. That's the tech mobility show on tiktok. Check it out.
Speaker 2:Waymo, the groundbreaking autonomous vehicle service, plans to bring its robo-taxis to Washington DC next year and is testing autonomous operations with safety drivers in Boston, new York City and Philadelphia all cities that can experience harsh winter weather. These cities are also quite compacted, with tight streets and unpredictable conditions between parked vehicles, pedestrians, e-bikes and more. While the service currently operates in Atlanta, los Angeles, phoenix, san Francisco and Austin, texas, these latest expansions could show how well self-driving cars handle snow, ice, gnarly traffic and long dark nights. This is topic B. I was just in Boston and even though my wife and I she lived there for a number of years I lived in Massachusetts went to college in Boston. Let me paint you a picture of a typical Boston residential city.
Speaker 2:Street looks like I'm not even talking a major thoroughfare, I'm talking about a side street in a residential neighborhood in Boston. Cars parked on both sides of the street. Street is one way. Why? Because only one lane of traffic can make it down that street and it's tight. Anything can happen that street and it's tight. Anything can happen A ball, a kid, a car door. And that's just in the spring, summer and fall. What do you think happens in the wintertime? Getting a plow through there is hard enough and very often these roads don't get plowed right away. So I'm real curious, because they're not just talking about just cold weather or ice or rain or light, we're talking about all the ugliness that goes in.
Speaker 2:And Boston is a city that was founded in 1630. Cars came hundreds of years after the city was established. Cars were superimposed into the Boston system. Same thing with New York and, to a lesser degree Philadelphia. How do you think where you are literally talking inches in Boston, literally inches.
Speaker 2:My wife and I, we were amazed because we couldn't remember how congested the city was and that's just a side street with no traffic. Now get into the traffic and get into the craziness in the traffic and I can give examples of you know, parked cars, double parked cars, delivery trucks from everywhere, buses, people, stupid people. We were in a neighborhood where this one guy on a motorbike was running circles in and around the traffic while the traffic was moving. How is Waymo going to handle all of that, all of that craziness? And again, before it snows. Or what about black ice? They think they got it handled. They think they got it handled, but right now. Up to now they were warm weather, but we knew at some point that if Waymo was going to be successful nationwide, they were going to have to make that move and it's crucial for them to collect what we call the four seasons of data in the Northeast.
Speaker 2:Ironically enough, the RoboTaxi company tested vehicles last year, last winter, in upstate New York lots of snow, michigan, depending whether it was the UP or not, and Truckee, california, a small town nearly 6,000 feet above sea level in the Sierra Nevada mountains and Truckee Nevada has a very special place One it gets a lot of snow. Number two does the words Donner Party mean anything to you? And Donner Pass? Yeah, truckee, california. It's ugly up there with a capital ugly. I mean it puts New England to shame with snow. They get feet of snow at a time, but yet they're up there with a capital ugly. I mean it puts New England to shame with snow. They get feet of snow at a time, but yet they're up there.
Speaker 2:Testing Safety is about all the things you didn't think were going to happen but happened anyway. That's Philip Koopman, a Carnegie Mellon University professor, a mentorist and safety expert in autonomous vehicles, and he had said that back in January. Aaron Ofer, ceo at IMAGRY, an AV software company, imagery I'm sorry, that's I-M-A-G-R-Y acknowledged that Waymo would face weather conditions they haven't met in the West and I mentioned some of them Snow, ice, black ice, high winds, long dark nights and low sun angles in the winter, and I mentioned some of them. The big question they've got and in fact the Boston City Council asked this question is will there be situations where the vehicle will operate in weather conditions that are unsafe and you would think, common sense. Well, no, that also means in Boston they may not be operating much in the winter because it can get ugly, particularly if you're in a Northeaster Nor'aster. It's not pretty at all.
Speaker 2:And then what happens? If it's going between point a and point b and weather breaks out? Does it just stop in the middle of the road? Does it call it a day? Yeah, and needless to say, they got a very, very, very chilly response in boston. And I'm not talking to weather, I'm talking from the city council and from organized labor. And that is very, very New England. By the way, cabby's got a strong interest up there. They don't want no parts of this. None, they're afraid that it's going to put people out of work.
Speaker 2:I'm not convinced that Waymo's got the stones, even with with their level of sophistication, to manage Boston. Boston give drivers fits for all kinds of reasons, all the things they never anticipated. Now, ironically, even though they are evaluating these markets, waymo will be the first to tell you they do not have current plans to offer this service in Boston. Interesting, they didn't say that about New York City or Philadelphia, and I've been in New York City and if you're in lower Manhattan you ain't moving much at all.
Speaker 2:And again, a bunch of things that can happen that you never would imagine. That would very easily, fairly quickly, frustrate the vehicle Again, like double parking on a street where there ain't that much clearance. Does it have the wherewithal to literally thread the needle? Get down a street? Pedestrians all over the place. What's it going to do? Is it just going to sit there? It'd be there all day. Traffic lights oh my goodness. Trying to get into traffic off a major Traffic lights oh my goodness. Trying to get into traffic off a major, off a side street, a major street, even with traffic lights? Yeah, it's a nightmare in big cities, which is why, at least in Boston, most people take public transportation. Driving in Boston is not something you do. That is something that tourists do. The natives don't do it and, trust me, I was on the Southeast Expressway about three weeks ago. I was reminded why that is.
Speaker 2:Now, waymo contends that their autonomous vehicles rely on a multitude of sensors, including cameras, radar and LiDAR. Before launching a robo-taxi service in a new city, waymo sends out its vehicles with human drivers, because in the case of Boston, it's against the law for Waymo to operate without a driver anyway. They're hoping to change that, but right now it's not happening. They create detailed maps of the area they plan to serve, which means you're generally going to have at least one sensor stream that can penetrate any kind of weather at any given time. Again, boston is on the coast. We haven't even begun to talk about the effects of seawater and that salt in the wind that tends to rust out everything and would foul these sensors over time. Hadn't even begun to talk about that, new York would have the same problem. So it should be interesting to see, as these vehicles with multiple sensor types need to compare and contrast the incoming data, if the vehicle is just going to get frustrated and just stop, or whether its computing power is going to be fast enough quick enough with low latency times to make the decisions it needs to make for a seamless operation. Parents are paying up to $50,000 for new genetic testing services to screen embryos for IQ.
Speaker 2:We are the Tech Mobility Show. To learn more about the Tech Mobility Show, start by visiting our website. Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show. The website is a treasure trove of information about me and the show, as well as where to find it on the radio across the country.
Speaker 2:Keep up with the happenings of the Tech Mobility Show by visiting techmobilityshow. That's techmobilityshow. You can also drop us a line at talk at techmobilityshow. You can also drop us a line at talk at techmobilityshow. Did you know that Tech Mobility has a YouTube channel? Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show. Each week I upload a few short videos of some of the hot topics that I cover during my weekly radio program. I've designed these videos to be informative and entertaining. I upload a few short videos of some of the hot topics that I cover during my weekly radio program. I've designed these videos to be informative and entertaining. It's another way to keep up on current mobility and technology news and information. Be sure to watch, like and subscribe to my channel. That's the Tech Mobility Show on YouTube.
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Speaker 2:Social media is the place to be these days, and we're no exception. I'm Ken Chester of the Tech Mobility Show. If you enjoy my program, then you will also enjoy my weekly Instagram videos, from the latest vehicle reviews to timely commentary on a variety of mobility and technology-related topics. These short features are designed to inform and delight you. Be sure to watch, like and follow us on Instagram. You can find us by typing the Tech Mobility Show in the search bar.
Speaker 2:You might consider this to be the dark side of technology these days. Try this one on for size. Parents are paying up to $50,000 for new genetic testing services that will include promises to screen embryos for IQ. What Yep? Professional matchmakers are setting up tech execs with brilliant partners, partly to get brilliant offspring. Tech futurists are urging that the intellectually gifted to multiply. In the words of the late Tina Turner and I got to say it because it came to this what does love have to do with this? This is Topic C Of everything I have talked about at this microphone with you, our visits for the last seven, going on eight years, I have never read anything that's got me more scared than this piece.
Speaker 2:Right here, you are screening your embryos for no other reason to find out if the kid in that embryo is smart enough, forget everything else. They want to know. Does the embryo have the ability to develop a high IQ? And they are paying six figures to get that answer. And this is not something that's proposed. It's happening right now in Silicon Valley right now. If this hasn't given you a chill yet, let me take you one step further and then we're going to circle back and talk about this right now, if they have that ability and they believe that they do, and that there are parents right now in real time making decisions about which embryos are going to become children, based on the analysis they got on their IQ and a few other items, mixing the fact that over the last 15 years, researchers have developed Through a system called CRISPR. They've been basically identifying the human genome and all the genes and the DNA we've got. They don't have it all yet, but they've been working on that for years. You see where I'm going with this. I see a day when not only will they screen for it, but somebody with enough money says you know what? What if we can modify these two genes in that embryo to give us exactly what we want in terms of super smart, super talented, any list of attributes. Now, honestly, this piece didn't go that far and it was out of the Wall Street Journal under the future of everything. But I see where it's going. The technology pieces are out there and, at least officially, nobody's put that part together yet and no, none of this is illegal yet.
Speaker 2:But it should scare you as a parent, as a grandparent, maybe, as a parent-to-be. All we wanted was healthy kids. We were going to love them, no matter what. We've got three lovely children, no matter what. We've got three lovely children. My oldest is a RN with her master's degree and working to be a nurse practitioner. No, we did not screen. You didn't do that back in the eighties. And even if they did, we wouldn't have had the money to do it. We were just glad that we had a successful pregnancy and that she came out okay and as parents, we did our level best to make sure that she was well-educated and well-knowledged and we're reaping the benefits of that now. And in fact, her oldest is a sophomore this year at a major state university. We're very proud of him.
Speaker 2:But getting back to this Silicon Valley, people with money are spending it to find out. Couples are spending it looking at it very technologically to see which kids, which embryos, are going to be the smartest kids. The problem is what I call unintended consequences In their rush to develop potential children with high IQs. Will they be technologically smart but common sense stupid? I remember a kid in college and I went to college in Boston. Accounting major Kid was brilliant and didn't have one single ounce of common sense not any. What does this mean for a whole variety of kids that will be coming into our society, kind of engineered, or at least screened, like this? And what's to stop these folks from taking the next level 10 years, 15 years, 20 years from now, and literally engineering the kids they want because they got the money.
Speaker 2:And what does that do for the rest of us? They call this genetic optimization and it scares me half to death. This reflects Silicon Valley's beliefs about merit and success. This is what they think, that they think they have a perception that they're smart and they're accomplished and that they deserve to be where they are because they have quote-unquote good genes. So you're telling me that education, perseverance, hard work, a willingness to study, a willing to learn, doesn't count for anything? Yeah, I am willing to bet you that the majority of the inventions and developments that made our country what it is were folks that weren't all that smart. They had an idea, they committed to the idea, they made it happen.
Speaker 2:The part that scares me even more is kind of like right out of a science fiction plot. The rich people create a genetically super cast that takes over and the rest of us are proles. It becomes a ruling class and then there's the rest of us, because they're smart and smarter and the rest of us are taking the luck of the draw. But what scares me the most is what other unintended consequences will they be foisting onto the world? Will these kids maybe be I don't know, and I'm being maybe a little bit dramatic but maybe a serial killer or some sort of manipulator or something evil in their personality? They're bright, they're brilliant, but they have another side personality wise.
Speaker 2:It's not OK. What are we going to do? This is not illegal. I mean right now there's a whole ecosystem of usually super high network people who are obsessed with intelligence, who are obsessed with intelligence, and it talks about one couple that looked through her embryos, had four children through IVF and used that firm to analyze some of them and the one with the next highest ended up being daughter number four. They picked it. That little girl was picked for her IQ. Yeah, I don't know about you, but this creeps me out big time and this is happening right now and I only see it getting darker as the technology continues to evolve and money talks and money makes this happen. Just because money is available don't mean they're always doing it for the best, even for society, let alone us.
