Many in
the general public expect scientific and technological innovation to bring
helpful change to society.
Yet, when Americans are asked about the potential
use of emerging technologies that could push the boundaries of human abilities,
they are far more cautious about the morality and effects of these advances.
A new Pew
Research Center survey examined public attitudes about the potential use of
three emerging technologies that could fundamentally improve people’s health,
cognitive or physical capacities.
The specific examples: gene editing to give
healthy babies a much reduced risk of serious diseases and conditions over
their lifetime, implanting a computer chip in the brain to give a healthy
person a much improved ability to concentrate and process information, and a
transfusion with synthetic blood to give
healthy people much improved speed, strength and stamina.
Here are
some key takeaways from the report:
1 - While the public expresses more worry than
enthusiasm about human enhancements, most expect many enhancements will happen
within the next 50 years.
Fully 81%
of U.S. adults expect artificially made organs to be routinely available for
transplant by the year 2066. Roughly two-thirds (66%) of Americans say
scientists will probably or definitely cure most forms of cancer within 50
years.
None of
the techniques that anchor this study are available for enhancing purposes
today. But many people foresee a future where each would be commonplace.
Roughly half of adults (54%) think the idea of implanted computer chips is
likely to be a routine occurrence in the future. Some 48% say humans will
definitely or probably use implanted sensors to monitor or adjust all food and
medications that enter the bloodstream by the year 2066. And a similar share of
adults, 47%, foresees a future with almost no birth defects because of genetic
modification of embryos prior to birth.
2 - Most Americans say they would not want to
improve their cognitive or physical abilities with brain chips or synthetic
blood.
For all
the potential appeal of having sharper brains and stronger and healthier
bodies, about half or more of Americans say they would turn such options down.
Roughly two-thirds (66%) of the public says they would not want an implanted
device giving them a much improved ability to concentrate and process
information, while a third (32%) say they would want such a device. The same is
true when it comes to synthetic blood substitutes for improved physical
abilities. Some 63% of adults say they would not want this, while 35% say they
would definitely or probably want this.
The
public is closely divided over gene-editing to significantly reduce their
baby’s risk of serious diseases and illnesses: Roughly half (50%) say they
would definitely or probably not want this for their own baby and about the
same share (48%) says they would.
3 – Religious Americans are the most wary about
future human enhancements.
On
balance, Americans who are more religious are less likely to approve of these
potential enhancements. And people with high religious commitment are less
likely to want these potential enhancements for themselves or for their baby.
More religious Americans are also more likely to see these potential
enhancements as “meddling with nature” and crossing a line that should not be
crossed. By contrast, majorities of those low in religious commitment say each
of these potential enhancements is in keeping with other ways humans have tried
to better themselves over the centuries.
4 - The more extreme an enhancement is, and the
more permanent any change is, the less likely people are to embrace it.
For
example, while 47% say it would be an appropriate use of synthetic blood
substitutes if it results in improvements equal to their own peak abilities,
just 28% of adults say synthetic blood substitutes resulting in speed, strength
and stamina “far above that of any human to date” would be appropriate.
People’s
reactions to these enhancements are more positive if the effects are
controllable or temporary. About half
(51%) of U.S. adults say a brain chip implant would be less acceptable
if the effects on cognitive abilities were permanent and could not be reversed.
5 - Men are more positive than women about
possible future human enhancements.
More than
half (54%) of men say they would want gene editing to give their baby a much
reduced risk of disease, compared with 43% of women. Men also are more likely
than women to say each of the enhancements in the Pew Research Center survey is
similar to other ways in which humans have tried to better themselves. By comparison,
women are more likely to see each as “meddling with nature” and crossing a line
that should not be crossed. Men and women are about equally likely to expect at
least some change for society from these potential enhancements, but men are
more inclined than women to foresee each as bringing positive effects.
Despite
the fact that most adults see future social inequality tied to unequal access
to these human enhancements, there are surprisingly few differences in
assessments across racial and ethnic lines, education or income levels.
6 - Many Americans have mixed views about
current enhancements, such as cosmetic surgery.
For
comparison, the survey included questions about several enhancements available
today: elective cosmetic surgery, laser eye surgery, skin or lip injections,
cosmetic dental procedures to improve one’s smile, hair replacement surgery and
contraceptive surgery.
Most
Americans (61%) say “people are too quick to undergo cosmetic procedures in
order to change their appearance in ways that are not really important,” while
a minority 36% says “it’s understandable that more people undergo cosmetic
procedures these days because it is a competitive world and people who look
more attractive tend to have an advantage.”
When it
comes to views about elective cosmetic surgery, in particular, 34% say this is
“taking technology too far” while 62% consider cosmetic surgery to be an
“appropriate use of technology.” Overall, 54% of U.S. adults say elective
cosmetic surgery leads to about equal benefits and downsides for society, while
26% express the belief that there are more downsides than benefits. Just 16%
say there are more benefits than downsides for society from cosmetic surgery.
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