We are now approaching a time when we can generate risk predictions of the very sort imagined in Gattaca. Presently, there are wide error bars around those predictions, and most genetics researchers will tell you they aren’t ready for prime time. You won’t see genetic risk scores for complex behavioral outcomes in the clinic any time soon. But medical professionals are no longer the keepers of knowledge. Start-up companies have by-passed traditional gate-keepers across many industries, from taxis to hotels to the medical establishment, to give consumers direct access. The field of genetics is no exception: there has been exponential growth direct-to-consumer genetic testing (Regalado, 2019), and the use of free public websites that allow you to upload raw genetic data to compute genetic risk scores for a variety of conditions. Half of the top twelve most accessed genetic risk scores from one widely used site are substance use or mental health outcomes (Folkersen et al., 2020). People want this information, and they can already get it.
