A biotechnology startup backed by billionaire Peter Thiel has unveiled a disturbing new artificial intelligence (AI) system that it says can help parents create “designer babies” with significantly higher intelligence than naturally born children.

Nucleus Genomics claims its new AI-powered model can rank IVF embryos by predicted intelligence, with an astonishing 14-point IQ gap between the highest- and lowest-scoring embryos in a batch of ten.

While announcing Vitruvian, the company’s latest set of “genetic optimization models,” Nucleus Genomics founder Kian Sadeghi wrote:

“AI is rapidly getting smarter.

“Now, humanity can too.

“Vitruvian’s intelligence model can optimize embryo DNA for 14 IQ points – nearly a standard deviation,” Sadeghi said.

He added that the models were trained using data from more than one million people and validated using more than 40,000 siblings.

AI Ranks Embryos by Predicted Intelligence

Vitruvian does not genetically edit embryos.

Instead, the system analyzes embryos already created during an IVF cycle and scores them so parents can decide which one they want implanted.

Nucleus has also promoted embryo comparisons based on predicted height, eye color, hair color, and risks for conditions including breast cancer, type 2 diabetes, and autism.

According to the company’s whitepaper, the expected difference between the highest- and lowest-scoring embryo in a group of ten is 14.3 IQ points.

With five embryos, Nucleus puts the predicted spread at 10.8 points.

The company says selecting the highest-scoring embryo rather than an average embryo could produce an expected intelligence advantage of roughly half that spread.

That would mean an estimated gain of around seven IQ points from a batch of ten embryos and around five points from five embryos.

The five-embryo estimate is roughly double what researchers predicted only several years ago.

A 2019 study published in Cell estimated an average gain of approximately 2.5 IQ points when screening a typical IVF cycle containing about five viable embryos, increasing to around three points with ten embryos.

Nucleus now says its system captures approximately 62% of the common genetic variation associated with cognitive ability.

Model Trained on Hundreds of Thousands of People

According to the whitepaper, the intelligence model was trained using genetic association data from approximately 500,000 people.

It was then tested using roughly 40,000 siblings of European ancestry contained within the UK Biobank.

The “IQ” predicted by the model is based on the Biobank’s verbal-numerical reasoning test.

Among siblings, Nucleus says the score accounts for around 19% of the variation in latent cognitive ability after adjusting for the reliability of the test.

Nucleus was founded by Sadeghi after he dropped out of college.

The company raised a $14 million Series A round in January 2025, bringing its total funding to approximately $32 million.

Its investors include Thiel’s Founders Fund, Alexis Ohanian’s Seven Seven Six, and Balaji Srinivasan.

Nucleus initially offered adult genetic testing, including testing related to IQ, before expanding into IVF embryo scoring.

Watchdog Challenges ‘Smartest Embryo’ Claims

The company’s explosive claims have already drawn scrutiny.

Just one week before Vitruvian was unveiled, the National Advertising Division of BBB National Programs recommended that Nucleus stop suggesting its IVF+ service can accurately determine which embryo will be the smartest.

The watchdog said the company’s evidence “failed to establish the accuracy of identifying the highest-IQ embryo within a multi-embryo group.”

Nucleus said it would appeal the decision, arguing that NAD’s “conclusions cannot be reconciled.”

No ruling on that appeal could be located.

The American Society for Reproductive Medicine has also warned against using this type of embryo screening in clinical practice.

In December, the organization’s ethics and practice committees concluded that polygenic embryo screening “is a nascent and unproven technology that should not be used clinically at this time.”

 

Company Pushes to ‘Normalize’ Genetic Optimization

Nucleus has nevertheless aggressively marketed the concept of selecting embryos based on desired traits.

Its “Have Your Best Baby” campaign appeared across the New York City subway system last fall.

The advertisements included slogans such as “IQ is 50% genetic” and “Height is 80% genetic.”

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority reportedly rejected two additional proposed lines: “Have a girl” and “Have a boy.”

Sadeghi said the campaign was aimed at “normalizing” genetic optimization.

With Vitruvian, Nucleus is now taking that concept even further by using artificial intelligence to rank embryos based on predicted intelligence before parents decide which child to bring into the world.

____
https://slaynews.com/peter-thiel-ai-startup-creates-designer-babies-higher-iq/?