When science fiction suddenly becomes reality, the world watches with astonished fascination, delight, and sometimes dismay. We live in an accelerated time, and the rate of acceleration is increasing. As we rapidly move forward, it is difficult to see over the horizon. Yet, it is wise to make preparations for what lies ahead. A paradox? Perhaps. The essential question is, how can one adequately prepare for the unknown?

This acceleration point may have started back in the mid-19^th century. “What hath God wrought?” (a phrase from the Book of Numbers 23:23) was the first Morse code message transmitted in the United States on May 24, 1844, and officially opened the Baltimore–Washington telegraph line. The phrase was suggested to Samuel Morse by Annie Ellworth, the daughter of the commissioner of patents and appropriately called attention to an obvious, world-changing event. A harbinger of definite magnitude.

Another technological watershed is now coming into place: artificial intelligence converging with quantum computing. The convergence of these two technologies may have the same civilization-altering effects as the telegraph, but the changes resulting from their combined functionality are likely to be much more profound, perhaps as fundamental and far-reaching as the discovery of fire.

At the present time, the technology maturation path for artificial intelligence and machine learning is clearer than that for quantum computing. But, as classical computing uses more sophisticated machine learning tools to advance better and better quantum computing designs, it is not unreasonable to expect that progress will continue to accelerate, eventually even exponentially. So, what happens when continuously accelerating development of this technology is able to proceed without any limitations? One possibility may come in the form of a super-watershed where the power of the combined technologies is able to create much higher performance tools—tools that become so sophisticated that they begin to improve themselves and find solutions before we even understand the problems.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, opinions differ over the current state of the technology, depending on precisely how quantum computing is defined. For instance, some feel that quantum computing is not practically functional until certain thresholds have been achieved, i.e., a minimum number of qubits, room temperature operation, etc. For this collection, the individual authors have taken sometimes differing positions on how they define quantum computing and its current state of maturity, so there are necessarily differing assumptions in certain contributions. The intention in providing such a range of opinions is to try to bring a truly wide-angle lens to bear on the analysis of the impending revolution.

In some sense, the revolution is already underway. Look at all of the related technologies currently in development: guidance systems for autonomous vehicles and aerial vehicles, military applications, financial portfolio optimization, cryptography, network communications, medical research … the list gets longer each year.

Much in the same way that electricity became ubiquitous during the 19^th century, civilization again seems to be headed down the same road with quantum-enabled AI systems. All in all, these changes may not look like a revolution—but in the beginning, real revolutions can sometimes be difficult to spot. The importance of this anthology is to develop a critical understanding of these changes and be able to see the coming revolution more clearly. With a clearer perspective, we can ideally make the right preparations. Like a tidal wave coming in slow motion, its arrival is certain, but its size remains to be seen, and the high ground is relative to our preparedness.

To be clear, this collection of essays is not meant to provide an in-depth education about the theoretical foundations of quantum computing or artificial intelligence. The central thesis of this anthology is to raise awareness of this quiet revolution. However, to provide the reader with additional technical background should it be required, two primers on the foundational concepts of quantum computing and artificial intelligence are included in the appendices. This information is meant to simplify and explain the current state of the technologies discussed in this collection. In addition, a glossary of common definitions is provided at the end of this volume for better understanding of the more technical terms, and an index is included for easy reference to specific information.

The volume in front of you is the first in a planned series, and this installment specifically explores the potential impacts on people from AI converging with quantum computing. As with the introduction of any higher performance tool, humanity adopts the innovation and soon becomes more efficient. Left unchecked, the adoption and increased efficiency usually carry certain consequences in the form of social, economic, and political adjustments, and it is these adjustments that the current volume will investigate.

Next in the series, Volume 2 will be concerned with a full range of potential applications and use cases for the technology across various industry sectors. By understanding how the combined technologies might actually be deployed, the reader can gain a sense of where and how the way we live will be transformed (or even cease to exist). Volume 2 is meant to be an early warning signal for those likely to be affected in the first wave.

Volume 3 will build on the awareness gained from learning about the various applications and use cases and will discuss potential vulnerabilities and dependencies in need of protection and fail-safes. Without having adequate controls for disaster recovery and manual overrides, the potential to avert runaway trains will be greatly diminished or eliminated.

We are truly in the pre-acoustic coupler days (to use an ancient telecommunications reference), and the early stages of quantum-enhanced AI systems are still a few years away. But like PCs in the early 1980s, hybrid architectures will soon emerge to improve performance—similar to the 386/387 math coprocessors used to speed up complicated spreadsheet calculations. Eventually, multicore processors became fast enough to do everything on their own—including full-motion video that we take for granted today. The same development path will likely happen for quantum platforms and AI systems: classical architectures will be used for handling data-heavy tasks, and quantum (co)processors will be used for dealing with very complex calculations.

It is inherently difficult to predict how a technology will develop and mature at such an early stage of its lifecycle. The permutations will likely bear little resemblance to the tools we use today. Nonetheless, it is important to attempt an understanding of how these changes may evolve so preparations can be made and unpleasant surprises can be minimized. We may never be able to fully prepare for what may come from artificial intelligence converging with quantum computing, but we do have a little time to think about the possibilities. Thought experiments, symposiums, and game theory exercises may help extend our ability to anticipate the unexpected and see a little further over the horizon.

Given the rapid development of both technologies and given their eventual convergence, this anthology's central question is, how will this combined technology affect civilization? To help shed light here, 26 international authors were asked to speculate on the impacts of artificial intelligence converging with quantum computing. These authors were selected to achieve a multidimensional balance across geography, gender, ethnicity, professional area, and individual outlook. Their backgrounds and viewpoints raise awareness of the socio-economic, and political-regulatory impacts and describe unexpected societal changes and what may be in store for humanity.

The essays in this anthology are organized into three sections and examine the potential global impacts on political/policy/regulatory environments, economic activity, and social fabric. These impacts are complex in nature, and while there may be some degree of overlap between sections and across the individual essays, the positions presented by the authors are intended to provoke thought and consider possible consequences.

Quickly understanding the competitive advantages of using a new tool has always ensured dominance in commercial and geopolitical environments. Frequently, these advantages have strategic military capabilities for enhancing national control and global supremacy. The nations that control these tools will be able to secure their position and dominate those without the same capabilities. Quantum computing is the newest tool in this arsenal. When combined with artificial intelligence, a quantum computer can potentially solve very complex national problems, such as resource allocation, or global problems, such as climate change. Alternatively, the tool can be weaponized just as easily and applied to decrypting national security information and gaining access to military control systems.

Global commercial systems are almost always affected by the introduction of new tools and technologies, and this dimension is considered in the second section of the book. New technologies provide competitive advantages and disrupt the way industries normally operate, and one obvious area where this advantage and disruption will first emerge might seem to be human capital and labor. However, we are already witnessing how classical AI is having a major impact in this area, with further significant disruption predicted in the near term. There is valid concern that classical AI has the potential to make a very large number of workers redundant as these workers are replaced by intelligent automated systems—potentially leaving workers to continually retrain from one type of “sunset job” to another—but the brunt of these impacts are almost certain to be felt long before AI finally converges with quantum computing. For this reason, specific examples of how quantum artificial intelligence might eventually affect labor will be considered in the second volume of the series: applications and use cases.

Other key areas of commerce that will be affected are the global financial system and market trading. Even though we already see classical AI deployed widely in these areas, as we do with labor, there remain crucial aspects to the global financial ecosystem upon which the convergence of AI with quantum computing will have a truly seismic effect. When information security is considered in this context, the situation may initiate a new sort of arms race—which directly leads into the third section of this anthology, global policy and the regulatory environment.

When new tools are introduced into an existing social system, how that social system changes and adapts has both positive and negative outcomes. This anthology presents both optimistic and less optimistic perspectives regarding this type of technology introduction. As seen with the debut of the smartphone, the near-term social impacts have been obvious and well studied, but the longer-term impacts, even 25 years after first use, remain to be seen. The essays in this anthology aim to explore the question of how quantum computing and AI, like the smartphone, may evolve and affect humanity over the coming decades, offering various perspectives on the possible outcomes.

In the longer term, as with other essential technologies, I think that the aggregate effects will be irreversible—imagine trying to live today without electricity, mobile phones, or the Internet. In spite of climate change and the current pandemic, if we are to survive as a species, optimism and careful planning will serve us well. Science fiction narratives can also provide useful guidance for speculating about future technology trends and possible trajectories—and what should be avoided. Unfortunately, this is not a thought experiment: we have already lit the fuse, and the accelerant is qubits. The future will be arriving before we know it.

As with games of chance, excitement lies in not knowing the outcome. Let us hope that as we learn more about the future of these two technologies, random chance will operate in our favor … and perhaps hacking the lottery with a quantum processor will become commonplace.

GRV