Raphaël Maurel, Senior Lecturer at University of Burgundy Europe, will lead the second Research Seminar of the week on Thursday, February 5th, 12:30 p.m. The seminar will focus on quantum technologies as the next technological revolution, outlining the main challenges and risks associated with them.

ABSTRACT:

In contemporary political and media discourse, we mainly hear about artificial intelligence. However, AI is probably already behind us; the next revolution lies in quantum technologies. Based on scientific hypotheses formulated at the beginning of the 20th century, a second ‘quantum revolution’ has been underway since the 1940s, with the first results appearing in the 1980s. The 21st century is seeing the scaling up of technologies with truly revolutionary potential, such as quantum computers, quantum sensors and quantum communications. But while countries around the world have been engaged in a veritable race for quantum technologies since the mid-2010s, thinking about the ethical and legal framework for the tools currently under development is still in its infancy. Yet the stakes are high, particularly in the military sphere. This presentation aims to outline the main challenges and risks associated with these technologies, the current strategies of countries around the world, and the ethical and legal framework that could be put in place to provide a minimum level of regulation.