Quantum AI: Are We Ready?
Just when we thought we might be getting to grips with the strange world of AI, along comes a development that could send even the most mentally resilient of us diving behind the sofa!
Imagine, if you will, a world where computers perform functions in seconds that would take today’s machines thousands of years. Sounds like science fiction doesn't it? It might become a reality fairly soon, through a mind-bending technology called quantum computing.
Quantum computing could help us find a cure for cancer in a fraction of the time we’d need otherwise. It could give us highly detailed and accurate weather forecasts many months in advance. With its help we could build smarter robots and safer, more responsive driverless cars. What’s more, it could generate incredibly complex encryption systems to make public services and governments more secure.
In fact, we probably haven’t begun to imagine some of the difficult things quantum computing could help us do, the previously intractable problems it might solve, especially when it supercharges artificial intelligence.
So how does quantum computing work? It's all a little bizarre and difficult to explain, relying as it does on the somewhat opaque principles of quantum mechanics. This is an almost spooky branch of physics based on a strange idea called super-positioning.
This says that certain sub-atomic particles can be in two places at once and remain connected even over impossibly long distances, in much the same way that identical twins sense their sibling’s emotional state from far away.
So what does this mean for artificial intelligence and computers?
Imagine a room full of light switches. Every switch can be either on or off - there's nothing in-between. Combinations of on and off switches could create some very interesting light effects. That’s basically how traditional computers work. Every action is the result of combinations of on/off switches, or in computer language, 1s and 0s. The switches are called "bits” and every computer function is like a symphony of millions of bits - or tiny light switches going on and off in sequences.
Now imagine we upgrade that metaphor so that each light is fitted with a dimmer switch. Suddenly, we have so many more possibilities for our light show, because we’re not limited by just on and off - there are other levels in between.
That is essentially, perhaps crudely, how quantum systems work. Every bit of information, every qubit, can be 1, 0, or anything in between at the same time. This in-between state is called superposition. Just as our upgraded light room would allow many more effects, a quantum computer could perform millions of calculations all at once, instead of doing them one at a time. In a matter of minutes, hours, or days, it could solve problems that might take regular computers years decades or even longer.
At the moment, quantum computers are largely theoretical but some engineers are confident that they’ll be a fairly common reality by the end of the decade.
"So what?", you say, "What difference would that make to my real world?" The quantum revolution could transform many things. Take drug development, for example. Today’s AI-enhanced computers can analyse data to l suggest more targeted medicines. But they take a while to do it.
Designing a drug compound to solve a particular problem, means sifting through millions of combinations of drug moleculesbto find one that works. It’s like searching for a specific grain of sand on a beach. Today’s computers do that by checking each grain individually, one after the other. A quantum system would look at millions of grains all at once. Imagine the impact that would have on our capacity to face disease and pandemics.
Quantum AI could also create some very detailed predictive models, to suggest future scenarios for climate change, politics, economics, migration, and much more.
However, there is at least one problem: a quantum computer is almost as difficult to build as it is to understand.
Quantum states require temperatures colder than outer space - and they’d be hugely expensive to run. So even when workable quantum computers arrive, they won’t replace your laptop any time soon. Eventually, you’ll probably be able connect to one remotely, as you do with the Cloud today.
Obviously, the greater the power of a technology, the greater is its potential threat to humanity and the environment - especially if it falls into the hands of the wrong people.
Quantum-powered cryptology could make systems more hack-proof, but in the wrong hands it could also make us more vulnerable to cyber-attack.
Imagine what would happen if the digital passwords of thousands of people - and those of every major public institution - were cracked in just a few minutes. And as fast as one computer comes up with new passwords, another one is breaking them. Thousands of people might lose their savings; entire industries and public services might grind to a halt. It would be like the recent Crowdstrike outage on steroids.
With quantum AI, privacy might become more or less impossible - unless you go completely off-grid, and live in a cave.
And imagine the carnage if rogue states or terrorist organizations got hold of fully autonomous weapons designed and powered by quantum AI.
Consider, too how quickly quantum AI might create simulations of human behaviour down to the smallest detail. It would make today’s deepfakes seem like primitive cave art!
For business, quantum AI could revolutionise consumer relations and financial modeling, at least for companies that can afford access to quantum computers. Smaller companies might find it gets even harder to compete, and we might see more huge monopolies taking over the innovation space, with more and more workers having to retrain mid-career.
For governments, Quantum AI could be a boon for national security, demographic modelling and energy innovation. But regulating it will be both crucial and difficult. It will require international cooperation, which won't be easy in a fractious world.
The possibility of quantum AI raises questions on the tech front, too. Will it speed up the production of an artificial general intelligence, or even a super intelligence that can easily out-think the smartest person on the planet? Will quantum AI give birth to machines that develop a conscience; machines that can independently reign in their own capacity to do harm? We’ll have a short film on that very soon.
There are many questions we can't answer yet, but one thing is certain. The principles that will guide our use of quantum computing will be shaped by our approach to today’s more linear AI.
This makes the need for wide-ranging debates on AI ethics, plus resilient regulation of AI, complete with binding international treaties, more important than ever.
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