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“A basic case for donating to the Berkeley Genomics Project” by TsviBT


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Introduction

Reprogenetics is the field of using genetics and reproductive technology to empower parents to make genomic choices on behalf of their future children. The Berkeley Genomics Project is aiming to support and accelerate the field of reprogenetics, in order to more quickly develop reprogenetic technology in a way that will be safe, accessible, highly effective, and societally beneficial.

A quick case for BGP: Effective reprogenetics would greatly improve many people's lives by decreasing many disease risks. As the most feasible method for human intelligence amplification, reprogenetics is also a top-few priority for decreasing existential risk from AI. Deliberately accelerating strong reprogenetics is very neglected. There's lots of surface area—technical and social—suggesting some tractability. We are highly motivated and have a one-year track record of field-building.

You can donate through our Manifund page, which has some additional information: https://manifund.org/projects/human-intelligence-amplification--berkeley-genomics-project

(If don't want your donation to appear on the Manifund page, you can donate to the BGP organization at Hack Club.)

I'm happy to chat and answer questions, especially if you're considering a donation >$1000. If you're considering a donation >$20,000, you might also consider supporting science with philanthropic funding or investment; happy to offer [...]

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Outline:

(00:12) Introduction

(01:56) Past activities

(02:26) Future activities

(03:32) The use of more funding

(04:35) Effective Altruist FAQ

(04:39) Is this good to do?

(05:09) Is this important?

(05:42) Is this neglected?

(07:06) Is this tractable?

(07:31) How does this affect existential risk from AI?

(08:10) A few more reasons you might not want to donate

(08:50) Conclusion

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First published:

December 17th, 2025

Source:

https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/oi822i9n5yaebmnhM/a-basic-case-for-donating-to-the-berkeley-genomics-project

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

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