Thinking ahead to a world with quantum computers: the landscape of responsible research and innovation in quantum computing

Report

Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) is a core work package in the Networked Quantum Information Technologies (NQIT) project, one of four research hubs funded as part of the UK National Quantum Technologies Programme. RRI aims to promote research and innovation which is socially desirable and undertaken in the public interest, stimulating creativity not only in the science but also in innovation arising from it, and ultimately leading to products and services that are accepted by the public.

Quantum technologies are advancing rapidly, in some cases already in the market, or becoming close to market. The main strand of NQIT, and the main focus of this report, is on developments towards quantum computing, which, in its full sense, is still some years from availability.

This document does four things:

• Provides a background to RRI within NQIT (Chapter 1 and Chapter 2);
• Identifies the challenges for Responsible Research and Innovation in NQIT, from interviews with participants in the project, funders, industrial partners; and from a review of quantum computing and RRI literature (Chapter 3);
• Makes recommendations about how to handle these challenges (throughout Chapter 3 and Section 4.1 - Section 4.3);
• Describes a framework and pathway to implement a tailored RRI process in NQIT (Section 4.4).

Steering the way between overstating the potential benefits of quantum computing and too much caution about the potential risks, it sets a course for NQIT to become established as a trusted source of knowledge and innovation in quantum technologies.

Authors: Inglesant, P; Hartswood, M; Jirotka, M

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Reviewed (other)
• Publisher: NQIT
• Place of publication: Oxford, UK
• Publication date: 2016-11-30
• Commissioning body: Computer Science
• Language: English
• Keywords: quantum computing; quantum; responsible research and innovation