The new Quantum Ethics Documentary by TQI
From national security to medicine, from communications to finance, the potential for quantum technology to change the world is unprecedented. Whether it changes our world for the better, or for the worse, largely rests on what society does right now, according to experts featured in a new documentary from The Quantum Daily.
The documentary short film, which is slated to be released in late January, seeks to examine the key ethical concerns of quantum technology, as well as offer a solutions-based approach for optimizing the good that this technology can do. “Historically, new technological developments have preceded development of the ethical considerations that pertain to them,” said Evan Kubes, co-founder of The Quantum Daily. “We just can’t let ethics take a backseat or be an afterthought. We have to be proactive in carefully examining the potential impact of the technology and plot aligned responses so that we can avoid missteps of the past.”
Quantum computers use quantum phenomena such as superposition and entanglement to perform computations that can vastly outperform classical computers at certain tasks.
The list of those tasks that quantum computers can master may lead to solutions for humankind’s most pressing challenges. For example, quantum computers could eventually help design drugs for cancer treatments much faster than classical computers could. They could create devices that could understand language and help balance investment portfolios.
On the other hand, quantum computers can theoretically crack many of the cryptographic codes that secure private data and financial information. They could also lead to national security secrets being leaked to the wrong hands.
“We’re also concerned about fairness and equity,” said Matt Swayne, a founding contributor for The Quantum Daily. “Because quantum technologies are almost baffling to comprehend, we must make sure that we help as many people understand, adopt, and share in its potential benefits. If people are too wary, or too intimidated, this could create an even deeper technological divide that could lead to even vaster economic and cultural inequities. This will be a great challenge for educators, science communicators, as well as for us in the media.”
The documentary features quantum computing pioneers and scientific business leaders, including:
- Ilyas Khan, CEO and founder of Cambridge Quantum Computing (“CQC”), Founding Chairman of The Stephen Hawking Foundation and Life Member of the American Mathematical Society
- John Martinis, professor of physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, helped lead Google’s successful effort to build a quantum computer using superconducting qubits and recently joined Silicon Quantum Computing.
- Faye Wattleton, Founder of EeroQ, former CEO of Planned Parenthood. Partner + Head of Corporate Governance Practice at Alvarez & Marsal, Board of Directors: Columbia University and Estée Lauder.
- Nick Farina, Founder of EeroQ, co-founded EOC, a leading software and services corporation in higher ed. Investor in Bering Science. Former Board of Directors, Chicago Public Television.
- Ilana Wisby, founding CEO of Oxford Quantum Circuits.
- Abe Asfaw, Quantum Education Lead, IBM Quantum.
The Quantum Daily partnered with Teralon, a leading content production company headquartered in London to help produce the documentary.
You can learn more about the documentary project at TheQuantumDaily.com or contact them at [email protected].
About The Quantum Daily
The Quantum Daily is an industry leading platform dedicated exclusively to making Quantum Technology accessible through news, information and data.
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