Regulating Quantum Computers: Insights into early patterns and trends in academic regulatory conversations on 'Quantum Revolution'

Abstract

These days, talk of quantum technologies and the coming "quantum revolution" or "quantum leap" is hard to miss. There is a broad agreement that quantum technologies have a high probability of becoming the next disruptive technological development, and the way they should be regulated and the timing of such intervention are issues that are attracting increasing attention. An analysis of how these questions are being considered now, in the early stages of technological development, can be valuable in predicting future lines of regulation, identifying their possible consequences and steering technological development in desirable directions. This article analyses academic scholarship on the regulation of quantum technology, with a focus on quantum computing, to identify common topics, values and positions on its governance in the academic literature and to discuss patterns that are emerging. It identifies voices missing in the current conversations, possible path dependencies and and blind spots, and suggests future research directions and good practices.

Keywords: Quantum Computing, Quantum Technologies, Governance of Quantum Technologies, Responsible Innovation, Regulatory Conversations, Law and Technology