The technology will supercharge artificial intelligence and remake the modern world, Taylor says.
WASHINGTON, DC / ACCESSWIRE / March 25, 2021 / Quantum computing was once the realm of science fiction. Today, given rapid advances in the field, it will soon impact our economy, society, and national security, according to Miles Taylor, Google's former head of advanced technology and security policy.
While leading Google's engagement with defense, intelligence, and law enforcement agencies, Taylor saw firsthand how disruptive quantum computing could be to our daily lives-for better or for worse.
Miles Taylor Explains What a Quantum Computer Is
"Your everyday computer stores information in a series of ones and zeros, like the ‘heads' or ‘tails' on a coin," Taylor notes. "Every picture you see online and every text message you read is just a long string of those two numbers. Quantum computers are different. They harness the power of nature to create more possibilities."
Rather than using just the "heads" or "tails" of a coin toss, quantum computers can operate in a state of uncertainty, like measuring a spinning coin. In other words, it's as if something is one and zero at the same time-or somewhere in between the two.
"Nature doesn't work like an ‘on' or ‘off' switch," Miles Taylor adds. "It's uncertain and complex, and by behaving the same way, quantum computers can do things ordinary computers could never do."
While he was at Google, the tech giant announced it had achieved "quantum supremacy," with its quantum machine able to solve a problem in less than two minutes that would have taken the world's most powerful supercomputer nearly 10,000 years. It was a seminal moment in the field and a warning of what's to come.
An Exciting-and Uncertain-Future
Before working at Google, Miles Taylor was the Chief of Staff of the Department of Homeland Security, monitoring emerging threats to the United States. There, he says, quantum computing first came onto his radar as a near-term security dilemma.
"My biggest worry was that the technology was so powerful it could be used to break encryption, which we rely upon to protect everything from emails and healthcare records to sensitive classified information," Taylor explains. "That's still the case, and if our adversaries develop an advanced quantum computer ahead of us, it could pose a grave homeland security threat. What people don't realize though is that quantum computers will soon also be used to strengthen encryption and make data more secure than ever."
Taylor says the technology's real potential is in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). AI and ML are being used to solve the world's toughest problems, from modeling the weather to confront climate change to decoding viruses in the race to save lives during pandemics. Quantum computing will help machines "think" through these problems faster and more efficiently than ever, he says, and could even lead to machines thinking for themselves.
"We shouldn't just be planning for the day when quantum computers can break our toughest codes. We should be preparing for how to handle machines that can simulate genuine, human-like emotions or outsmart us," Miles Taylor says. "With quantum technology, that future is within view."
Happy robots could be great for society. Sad ones? Not so much.
"Look, the quantum future is both exciting and uncertain," he concludes. "This technology will help us fight poverty, revolutionize transportation, and do so much more, which is why we need to invest heavily in it and remain the world's quantum leader. At the same time, if we don't invest in understanding how it will affect public safety and national security, we will regret it. And I worry that we are behind the curve."
A New York Times bestselling author, Miles Taylor says he plans to write more about the technology to help the public understand its potential and its pitfalls. At the same time, he is working with companies, think tanks, and U.S. officials to invest more in quantum information science and its future impact on public policy-before the future is already behind us.
Sources:
Seven Ways Quantum Computing Can Change The World | by Yitzi Weiner | Thrive Global | Medium
How Quantum Computers Will Change Our World | Future of Sourcing
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SOURCE: Miles Taylor