What’s with the viral artificial womb?

NEWS about the world’s first artificial womb facility has been making rounds on social media ever since it was revealed to the public in December 2022. 

Hashem Al-Ghaili, a Berlin-based biotechnologist, conceptualized Ectolife, which he said is a facility that would allow a couple to conceive a baby and even let them choose the baby’s features from a menu. 

On his Facebook account, Al-Ghaili showed a video that explained his concept. 

“Ectolife allows infertile couples to conceive a baby and become the true biological parents of their own offspring,” it said. 

It said the artificial womb could also be a solution for women who had their uterus surgically removed due to complications and still want children. 

The proposed facility could grow 30,000 babies a year, it said.

The German biotechnologist’s concept also offers an “elite package” where the parents can choose their desired level of intelligence, height, eye color, skin tone and physical strength for their baby.

The data about the baby’s growth could also be monitored via a phone app. 

The facility, as said in the video, would run on renewable energy. The plan is to have 75 laboratories equipped with up to 400 growth pods or artificial wombs that are designed to provide an environment similar to a mother’s womb.

https://www.facebook.com/ScienceNaturePage/videos/623827269540899/

The actual facility does not exist yet. It is just a concept from Al-Ghaili, who is a producer, filmmaker, science communicator and a molecular biologist by trade, according to his website.

The video on Al-Ghaili’s Facebook page now has more than 5 million views and over a hundred thousand reactions on Facebook.

Netizens were quick to react to this matter, and said they were both amazed and creeped out by the concept. 

A Facebook user said it was like creating a “perfect” child, and it creeped him out.

“I was both creeped out and amazed,” said another Facebook user.

Some just made fun of the concept and likened it to phone specs.

This Twitter user was frightened by the concept.

And this user believed that the concept showed what the future would be like. 

Another said it was like we had entered the matrix.

Banner courtesy of Facebook: Hashem Al-Ghaili page