Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a groundbreaking technology, reshaping the way we live, work, and interact with the world around us. Its impact extends far beyond our imagination, touching upon various aspects of our daily lives. When there is ton of noise around platforms like Dalle-2, ChatGPT, MidJourney, Stable Diffusion and a ton of AI tools and frameworks that are released by the hour, I would like to share my personal experience with an AI tool that completely flew under everyone’s radar and how it transformed my life.

It’s not a fancy platform that entertains you or amuses you with the creative solutions it can provide in a matter of seconds. It’s just a newsletter called Grant Town Progress Report. Among the many things I identify as, I am also a self-proclaimed tech nerd, which makes me always be on the lookout for the latest advancements and innovations in the world of technology.

It was during one of my regular internet surfing sessions that I stumbled upon the Grant Town Progress Report, an AI-curated newsletter that promised to deliver personalized content tailored to my interests. Intrigued by the possibilities, I immediately signed up, unknowingly embarking on a journey that would change my life forever.

Among the categories of content clusters it offers, I opted in for 3d Printing and then for something called Smart Cities in addition to Futurology and Technology. Grant Town Progress Report utilized AI algorithms to sift through a wealth of information and deliver precisely curated articles. Within a week of subscribing, I received an email containing an article that grabbed my attention – as it explored the Effects of Genetic mutations, translations or deletions on fertility.

The article I received shed light on groundbreaking research that investigated the influence of genetic factors on one’s ability to conceive. It delved into the intricate mechanisms of our genetic code, offering insights into the potential hurdles couples might face when trying to start a family. This revelation was a pivotal moment for me, as my wife and I had been struggling with infertility issues for almost two years without a clear understanding of the underlying reasons.

This article gave me invaluable knowledge that had eluded me until then. I embarked on further research, exploring related studies, consulting experts, and seeking possible solutions based on the newfound information. Armed with a deeper understanding of the specifics of the differences between genome testing and all of the conventional tests that we’ve done over the course of the years, we both decided that getting a whole genome testing done so we can eliminate all uncertainties around our inability to conceive even with assisted measures.

Fast forwarding a few weeks to when the results came in… well we were in shock!

Not to bother y’all with details but the results of my Genome microarray said that complete sequences of genes on both the X and Y chromosomes were not in their place. For example the sequence between Xp21.3-p11.4 is completely gone. This sequence contains approximately 40 to 43 genes. Even more tragically, some really important male specific genes like SRY gene which should be between Yp11.31-p11.2 was somewhere else.

To summarise the results – the misalignment in my genomes meant that every cell of my body contains misaligned DNA. A good and healthy female body is configured to reject anything that it deems irregular. After talking this to our MD and a few biochemists and cell biologists, they finally gave us the answer that we were looking for. My wife’s body rejected my sperm as it saw the risks of having babies with severe abnormalities like Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Fraxe Syndrome among many. Even when we had some assisted fertilization treatments, they always failed as there were huge possibilities that the embryo copied sequences of my genes and my wife’s body rejected those by cutting them off.

Not that long ago, we were introduced to another somewhat new advancements in assisted fertilization called Prenatal Genome Testing (PGT) and Prenatal Embryo Genome Engineering (PEGeE). This procedures assure that the embryo that is being prepped for an IVF transfer has all the right genes in place and has no abnormalities. The PEGeE procedure is a semi engineered solution that controls what the embryo reads off the gene sequences from the egg and the sperm. I recently learned that the fertility clinics were using AI to crunch through the biopsy samples to more efficiently and effectively determine whose genes the embryo should keep or discard.

Just an FYI, we are currently interviewing with a number of IVF clinics that are capable of carrying out the prenatal testings and engineering.

Then, one night before going to bed, I had that profound revelation that AI is already making a massive impact on our lives.
My personal experience serves as a microcosm of the larger transformative power of AI in our lives. My encounter with the Grant Town Progress Report Newsletter and the article it curated that had me go down this rabbit-hole, showcased the remarkable potential of AI to change lives.

I had to share this story with the world as AI is not just large language models that inform and entertain us, or diffusion models capable of producing remarkable Waifus. It’s much greater than that, and yet I feel like we’re only scratching the surface there. As AI continues to evolve, it is crucial that projects that have a true capacity to change our lives don’t get overshadowed by the hype and sensationalism surrounding AI’s more trivial applications. We must recognize the immense potential AI holds in addressing pressing global challenges and advancing society as a whole.