How about a novel nootropic drug? Or advancements in neurolink technology to enhance brain-computer interfaces? Plus other biological and medical advancements that one could conceive of. Weight bearing suits that ease repetitive stress and increase lifting capacity. Personal climate controlled suits that make you comfortable anywhere.
I’ve made the argument in a post I wrote that we will see the first genetically engineering humans in the next decade. The technique will likely be embryo selection, which results in somewhat modest trait gains even with hundreds of embryos. However, the gains made by massive embryo selection (hundreds to thousands of embryos rather than ten) are still likely to exceed the effect of even the strongest nootropics.
I do find it plausible that if we had some sort of cheap drug that made the user +2 SD’s in IQ while also being more focused and creative, that would kick the economy into a much higher growth rate. Seems unlikely to happen though. Maybe narrow AI for bio R&D could do it. Maybe I’m overestimating how much it would take—maybe only half an SD would do it?
How about a novel nootropic drug? Or advancements in neurolink technology to enhance brain-computer interfaces? Plus other biological and medical advancements that one could conceive of. Weight bearing suits that ease repetitive stress and increase lifting capacity. Personal climate controlled suits that make you comfortable anywhere.
I’ve made the argument in a post I wrote that we will see the first genetically engineering humans in the next decade. The technique will likely be embryo selection, which results in somewhat modest trait gains even with hundreds of embryos. However, the gains made by massive embryo selection (hundreds to thousands of embryos rather than ten) are still likely to exceed the effect of even the strongest nootropics.
I do find it plausible that if we had some sort of cheap drug that made the user +2 SD’s in IQ while also being more focused and creative, that would kick the economy into a much higher growth rate. Seems unlikely to happen though. Maybe narrow AI for bio R&D could do it. Maybe I’m overestimating how much it would take—maybe only half an SD would do it?