# Regulate Biological Action Rather Than Superintelligent Thought by Alexander Wissner-Gross > "We have a legal tradition in the West of regulating actions and not thoughts. To the extent that printing out biological sequences or synthesizing them is an action, not a thought, I think [regulating biological-sequence synthesis] is on the less-worse end of the spectrum." > **— Alexander Wissner-Gross**, *Moonshots #309, recorded November 6, 2026* ## Sources and Context - **Source dossier:** [[research/Midterms, Politics, AI, and Infrastructure Research - Moonshots|Midterms, Politics, AI, and Infrastructure Research — Moonshots]]. - **Direct publication or recording:** [recording, 01:29:18–01:30:31](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WF-ADiC7Khs&t=5358s). - **Editorial form:** The readable quotation retains visible brackets and/or an ellipsis for source-supported clarification or omission. The candidate map below records the exact treatment. - **Context and treatment:** Alexander Wissner-Gross distinguishes physical biological synthesis from thought, locates the distinction in Western legal tradition, and argues that regulating the physical action is the less harmful control point; [recording, 01:29:18–01:30:31](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WF-ADiC7Khs&t=5358s). Bracket replaces `this` with its explicit antecedent; `I think` and `less-worse` preserve his epistemic posture and comparison. ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Simple Reminders|Simple Reminders]] - **Collection:** [[collections/The Politics of AI Infrastructure|The Politics of AI Infrastructure]] - **Collection:** [[collections/American Infrastructure|American Infrastructure]] - **Collection:** [[collections/American|American Culture Collection]] - **Article:** [[articles/Vertically Integrating an AI Superpower from AI Factory to Citizen|Vertically Integrating an AI Superpower from AI Factory to Citizen]] - **Article:** [[articles/The Gigawatt Is the New Measure of War|The Gigawatt Is the New Measure of War]] - **Article:** [[articles/The Political Party That Inherits Super Intelligence in 2028|The Political Party That Inherits Super Intelligence in 2028]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Alexander Wissner-Gross|Alexander Wissner-Gross]] - [[wiki/AI Control|AI Control]] - [[wiki/Moonshots 309|Moonshots 309]] ## Share on Social Media ``` "We have a legal tradition in the West of regulating actions and not thoughts. To the extent that printing out biological sequences or synthesizing them is an action, not a thought, I think [regulating biological-sequence synthesis] is on the less-worse end of the spectrum." — Alexander Wissner-Gross, Moonshots #309, recorded November 6, 2026 https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-alexander-wissner-gross-regulate-biological-action-rather-than-superintelligent-thought ```