Interview | Adrian Woolfson: It’s the Wright brothers’ moment in biology

Adrian Woolfson’s book, On the Future of Species (Bloomsbury), is both dystopian and full of hope. He says Artificial Intelligence (AI) could one day surpass Darwin’s evolutionary narrative on natural selection. In this new world, he predicts that AI would not just be editing, but authoring entirely new species using what he calls artificial biological intelligence. While we have managed to piece together the genomes of simple organisms like viruses, we may eventually be able to synthesise the human genome to help eradicate disease and extend lifespan. Along the way, he says, we could even resurrect the extinct woolly mammoth and the dodo. Woolfson, the co-founder of Genyro, a California-based biotechnology company specialising in synthetic genome design and construction, talks about his book on a Zoom call. Edited excerpts:

Interview | Adrian Woolfson: It’s the Wright brothers’ moment in biology

divya.gandhi@thehindu.co.in