Kong, DS.* (2025). 6.6 On Trust. Rice University.

Abstract

We came to Asilomar with many aspirations, and also many uncertainties, guided by feelings of service and the weight of history. Might we, 50 years after the original 1975 Asilomar meeting, be able to make a similar contribution to the field of biotechnology and help shape the next 50 years of its future? And might we do so in a historical moment of deep political, social, and ecological uncertainty? We came together and formed our own collective bubble of some 300 participants to build fellowship and work, with excitement and recognition of the opportunity before us, but amidst an atmosphere of looming crisis, anxiety, and even fear. It was a moment that called for leadership, and at some level, conscious or unconscious, we were there to see if we could meet that moment.

We had a presumptive goal to work together in working groups of ‘themes’ to collectively create statements, recommendations, and other products—perhaps a statement calling for a ban on bioweapons research, or an agreement to forgo research on ‘mirror life’ synthetic organisms. While these work products remain in progress and their impact, small or large, will be seen and felt in the years to come, what emerged was, in my view, a deeper, more powerful insight—that what we need most for the future of the field is trust.

https://doi.org/10.25611/G4WG-JY37