Jeffrey Epstein, the wealthy financier accused of sex trafficking, reportedly planned to develop an improved super-race of humans using genetic engineering and artificial intelligence, according to a New York Times investigation. The registered sex offender allegedly hoped to seed the human race with his DNA by impregnating women at his New Mexico ranch.
The scheme, which sources say began to be discussed in the early 2000s, involved having 20 women at a time impregnated at his 33,000-square-foot Zorro Ranch near Santa Fe. However, there is little evidence the plan ever progressed beyond fantasy.
Prominent scientists, including the late Stephen Hawking, regularly attended dinners and conferences held by Epstein, the Times reported. His circle included molecular engineer George Church, physicist Murray Gell-Mann, and evolutionary biologist Stephen Jay Gould, among others.
Epstein's field of study was labelled 'transhumanism' but was an updated version of eugenics. Lawyer Alan Dershowitz, who defended Epstein in 2008, expressed horror at the financier's interest in genetic manipulation, given the Nazis' use of eugenics in the 1930s.
Harvard cognitive psychologist Steven Pinker described Epstein as an 'intellectual impostor', while virtual reality pioneer Jaron Lanier said his ideas did not rise to science worthy of critical analysis. Epstein is currently in jail awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, to which he has pleaded not guilty.
