India's Digital Architect and Silicon Valley's Embryo Scoring Boom

Technology continues to reshape fundamental aspects of society from national infrastructure to human reproduction. Two major developments highlight this transformation: India's ongoing digital revolution under the guidance of a veteran technologist, and the controversial rise of embryo scoring technology in Silicon Valley.

These stories represent technology's expanding influence on both public systems and private choices. While one focuses on building digital infrastructure for billions, the other explores the ethical boundaries of genetic selection.

Nandan Nilekani has spent nearly three decades transforming India's technological landscape. At 70 years old, the architect of the world's largest digital identity system shows no signs of retiring. His work began with Aadhaar, a biometric identification system that now serves as the foundation for a comprehensive digital infrastructure.

Using Aadhaar as the bedrock, Nilekani and his collaborators have built a sprawling collection of free, interoperating online tools. This infrastructure covers government services, banking, and healthcare, offering convenience and access that would be remarkable even in wealthy countries a fraction of India's size.

The scale of this achievement is unprecedented. What started as an experiment in technological state capacity has evolved into a comprehensive digital ecosystem serving India's massive population.

Nandan Nilekani can't stop trying to push India into the future.

Controversial testing technology is moving from laboratory curiosity to commercial reality. While many Americans accept screening embryos for severe genetic diseases, far fewer approve of testing for characteristics related to appearance, behavior, or intelligence.

Despite this ethical divide, several startups are now advertising what they claim is a method to do exactly that. The new testing can cost up to $50,000, placing it far beyond the reach of most families. Yet the practice has gained significant traction in Silicon Valley and is becoming more widely available to the general public.

This technology represents one of the most significant breakthroughs in reproductive science, but it also raises profound questions about the future of human selection and genetic diversity.

• Screening for severe genetic diseases - widely accepted
• Testing for appearance traits - highly controversial
• Behavioral trait selection - ethically complex
• Intelligence prediction - scientifically debated

The adoption of embryo scoring in Silicon Valley reflects the region's unique relationship with emerging technologies. Tech professionals, accustomed to optimizing performance and making data-driven decisions, appear more willing to explore genetic selection technologies.

This trend mirrors broader patterns in the technology industry, where innovations often debut in affluent communities before reaching mainstream markets. The high cost of testing creates a natural barrier, but also establishes a precedent for genetic selection as a service.

The practice's growing availability suggests a shift in how society approaches reproductive choices, with technology offering increasingly granular control over genetic outcomes.

These developments illustrate technology's divergent applications in modern society. On one hand, digital infrastructure aims to democratize access to essential services for billions of people. On the other, genetic technologies raise questions about equity, ethics, and the nature of human choice.

Nilekani's work represents technology as a public good—building systems that serve entire populations. The embryo scoring trend represents technology as a private service, offering individual choices that may have broader societal implications.

Both trajectories will likely accelerate in coming years, as technological capabilities expand and costs decrease. The challenge for society will be navigating the ethical and practical implications of these powerful tools.

Technology's role in shaping human futures continues to expand in both scope and significance. India's digital revolution demonstrates how technology can transform governance and access at scale, while the embryo scoring trend shows how personal choices are becoming increasingly technological.

These developments raise fundamental questions about the relationship between technology and humanity. As capabilities advance, the line between enhancement and selection, between public good and private choice, will become increasingly important to define.

The coming years will likely see these technologies become more sophisticated and accessible, making the ethical and policy frameworks surrounding them increasingly critical.