PR-COM: HITCHHIKING THROUGH QUANTUM COMPUTING
Author: Dominik Mohilo, editor and IT expert at the Munich PR and communications agency PR-COM, which specialises in high-tech
In 1979, the immortal Douglas Adams recounted in his Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy how the supercomputer Deep Thought calculates the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and all the rest – everyone has heard the answer (‘42’). At the time, the term ‘technological singularity’ had not yet made an appearance, but Deep Thought is a prime example of this theory, according to which – defined very superficially – artificial intelligence will eventually catch up with human intelligence. A topic that is more topical than ever due to the spread of generative AI. However, it is debatable whether a ‘true’ technological singularity can be achieved with current hardware. It is true that the latest breakthroughs in artificial intelligence represent nothing less than a paradigm shift (some would rather call it a revolution). To take the final step towards the ultimate transcendence of technology, the argument goes, classical bit-based machines will not be enough. But, as Adams would say, don’t panic: The next technological revolution is already upon us. We are talking about quantum computing.
At around the same time that Douglas Adams was writing his novel in London, two absolute superstars of science on the other side of the world were also dealing with supercomputers in a much less humorous and philosophical way. The names of these gentlemen were Richard Feynman and Paul Benioff and it is highly recommended that every sci-fi fan and tech nerd watch their iconic appearances and lectures on YouTube. At the Caltech Institute in California, Feynman and Benioff developed the theory of quantum computing and now, almost half a century later, Chinese scientists have used a quantum computer to attack – allegedly successfully – previously unbreakable cryptographic systems such as Present, Gift-64 and Rectangle, which are all based on a substitution-permutation network (SPN) design – the same principle on which the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), which is widely used, is based. This would be proof of the incredible performance of the technology and its potential for damage.
Experts therefore have high hopes for the use of new types of quantum computers in conjunction with artificial intelligence. On the one hand, generative AI can help to significantly simplify the very complicated programming of devices; on the other hand, AI itself will benefit from quantum computing. IBM is already demonstrating how GenAI can help with programming in the form of the Qiskit Code Assistant. The aim of GenAI assistants is to automate the development of quantum code for machines. This abstraction suggests that humanity will continue the trend currently evident in the AI context of losing an understanding of how these systems actually work. Even the Google algorithm is barely comprehensible for its developers today, AI algorithms are completely opaque and now we are opening the door to completely new dimensions with this dangerous half-knowledge.
At the same time, quantum computing will make artificial intelligence far more powerful. Today’s computer systems are increasingly reaching their capacity and performance limits for complex applications such as large language models (LLMs) or processes such as machine learning, as a bit only has two states. In contrast, qubits, their quantum equivalent, can be 1 and 0 at the same time – you don’t have to be a mathematical genius to realise that this multiplies the performance and possibilities of these systems. Machine learning benefits from the much faster processing of complex data volumes and significantly more powerful pattern recognition. In the long term, AI will complete tasks faster as a result, but it will also solve even more complex problems. We may be just a quantum leap away from the technological singularity, so to speak.
Is the era of bits and bytes now over? No, not by a long shot. As with the topic of AI, we have only just opened the door to all the possibilities. Humanity and, above all, the representatives of science and the IT industry are now faced with three essential tasks. The most urgent is, firstly, to protect existing IT systems. The successful use of quantum computers to undermine current cryptographic procedures must be a wake-up call and the development of new security procedures that can withstand such attacks should begin now at the latest. Secondly, this requires appropriate investment in quantum computing, both from industry and at government level. Start-ups such as IQM, which recently opened a quantum computing centre in Munich, are already offering to obtain quantum computing power via the cloud – companies can get to quantum computing virtually by hitchhiking. And thirdly, clever minds need to develop applications in order to use the new technology in a meaningful way for civilisation. One approach to this is the symbiosis of AI and quantum computing, which could possibly trigger the big bang that ultimately leads to the cure of previously incurable diseases such as Alzheimer’s or cancer. Better concepts for stopping or even reversing climate change may also be within reach thanks to the interplay of technologies. Perhaps – unlike in Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – humanity still has a chance of saving this planet after all.