As the owner of a PR agency with an enviable roster of quality quantum technology clients, I am reading a lot of articles and watching webinars I find somewhere between slightly perplexing and totally confusing. I am not a scientist nor an engineer, but I’ve written materials for both through the years, That said, at times I find myself grappling with quantum terms that truly boggle my mind. I don’t think I’m alone among us quantum “laypeople.” Fortunately, at HKA we have a team of savvy, scientifically minded PR folks who understand the esoteric quantum terms and take great pride in translating our clients’ work into prose that helps the media tell these complex technology stories.

I’m telling you this because I was absolutely overjoyed to view a Zoom webinar last week that was on the topic of quantum technology yet focused on the looming real-world business applications. Now they were talking my language! Yes, the series is cleverly titled Entangled Discussions using one of the esoteric terms I was referring to, but the moderator, John Barnes, and the panelists from Quantum London, addressed how the insurance industry will benefit when quantum computers come of age.

Panelists Emanuele Colonnella and Anahita Zardoshti were articulate and fascinating to me. I had to laugh when Emanuele, the founder, revealed the idea for their company was hatched in a London pub in 2019. My company, too, had its origins on a cocktail napkin with a colleague several decades ago, so I immediately felt a kinship.

Quantum London’s tagline is “The business impact of quantum computing.” Refreshing to see! It is an organization with more than 3,600 followers/members, plus 400+ in two Meetup groups. With online events, Quantum London attracts participants way beyond London’s confines. The LinkedIn profile tells the tale: “Quantum is coming. How soon do non-techies need to care? We say right now!”

Many of us know that quantum computing is destined to enable society to address hugely challenging issues, ranging from climate change to cancer research. There certainly are skeptics and the jury is out as far as when this will occur. In the meantime, this was a real-world conversation, with these folks in the insurance industry predicting more immediate benefits.

Zardoshti, a young woman with a deep physics background now working in insurance, was articulate and easy to understand. She looks forward to the day when quantum computing can enhance risk simulation for events such as major weather catastrophes.

“Data is key in this industry, the more the better. But the more information you have, the harder it is to process,” she said. “We’re looking forward to having quantum computers help in this regard with machine learning algorithms.” She added that detecting patterns of insurance fraud in healthcare is another potentially valuable task for quantum computers.

An audience member asked whether the arrival of quantum computing would reduce the workforce. Moderator John Barnes, whose Entangled Positions company recruits specifically for quantum tech jobs, scoffed at that notion. “Yes, machine learning will replace the work of some people, but it’s fascinating how technology works hand-in-hand with human counterparts.” He said there will be a need for more retraining, especially for new jobs that don’t now exist.

“This is an old problem that happens with every new technology,” Colonnella said. “New jobs will be created in the quantum space and really, it’s an exciting space in which to play . . . When you have a lot of data and a lot of complexity, that’s where quantum computing can make a real difference.”

Barnes added, “The quantum revolution will touch on every aspect of business and every role.”

Perhaps that’s why Barnes is hosting this monthly series Entangled Discussions.

My takeaway as a longtime business owner? Whether you understand the science behind it or not, businesses everywhere need to understand how the quantum revolution will impact their sector and see where its benefits will apply.

Experts agree that the time to explore ethical issues as they relate to quantum technologies is now, not tomorrow.

With initial commercial applications likely coming to market in the next 3 to 5 years, and powerful fault-tolerant systems possible within the next 10 years, they believe ethical situations should be analyzed and discussed today so society can avoid undesirable outcomes as has occurred before with new technologies.

Key issues include ensuring the human benefits of quantum computing are available across nations, ensuring the wealth created is distributed equally as well, and to circumvent the potential misuse of quantum by totalitarian nations.

We are glad to see these issues being raised and were privileged to be part of promoting a recent documentary on the topic by The Quantum Daily (TQD). Take a look at “Quantum Ethics/A Call to Action by The Quantum Daily” and let us know your thoughts, too.

Anisha Musti is unlike any other teenager I have ever met. And as we move into 2021, as our world faces a multitude of thorny issues, it is reassuring to recognize that the younger generation may, ultimately, come to the rescue. If you, too, welcome this reassurance, read on.We met Anisha, a 15-year-old teen from New York, while working with our clients in quantum computing. Without a doubt, Anisha is the smartest 15-year-old I have met. But I would hardly call her a geek: she is articulate, personable and attractive. So-called “experts” told her she really couldn’t begin studying quantum computing until she was in graduate school, and certainly a Ph.D. in physics or math would be her calling card to enter the field.

To her credit, Anisha scoffed at this advice. She had watched a YouTube video on quantum computing when she was 14 and suddenly discovered a thirst for learning what this strange new field was all about. She admits that she felt like she was “falling down the quantum rabbit hole.” The more she learned, the more she wanted to know.

In Anisha’s words, “Quantum really piqued my interest. It sounded like something out of a Marvel movie and seemed like it had the potential to change the world.” Not surprising, given her uber-mature view, Anisha learned to code a quantum algorithm to detect Parkinson’s disease and published articles on the subject. At age 14.

So, what is she doing at age 15? During a Zoom interview, Anisha explained she felt compelled to do something about the lack of resources for high school students who wished to learn about quantum. She didn’t want to wait until grad school. Heck, she didn’t want to wait until college.

During a talk Anisha gave to the virtual Women in Quantum summit in December, Anisha explained, “When we look at the issues that people are attempting to tackle in the quantum field, we see things like qubit control, qubit quality and decoherence. But no one is focusing on the people.”

“We call it the people problem. If we don’t get the next generation’s smartest minds to work on these issues, we won’t be able to truly make progress in quantum computing. Introducing the subject to people halfway through their undergraduate programs is, in many cases, too late. They already have their lives and careers planned out and many won’t be compelled to, all of a sudden, attend grad school for quantum,” Anisha told the audience comprised mostly of women, and men, who were either already quantum researchers or graduate students.

Anisha’s analysis is spot on, as the companies we work with while doing PR in this space all say the same thing: “Recruiting qualified quantum scientists is one of our biggest challenges.”

Anisha is not one to just raise an issue and hope someone else solves it. She founded an organization called Q-munity. Asked to explain it, she says simply, “It allows other students, like me, to learn quantum computing and connect with students around the world trying to do the same.”

After beginning in November 2019, despite the worldwide pandemic, Anisha has achieved:

• Several thousand members from 26+ countries
• A quantum summer camp for 50+ high school students
• More than a dozen workshops, with tutorials and original content posted on the Q-munity website

As Anisha spoke at the Women in Quantum Summit, the chat box lit up with praise and encouragement for the teen. Everyone was amazed at not only Anisha’s own abilities but were astounded at what she has accomplished thus far – and what lie ahead for her and her young colleagues.Anisha commented, “All of us could make a huge impact by writing and creating quantum solutions to world problems. For myself, I aspire to continue to make meaningful impact using quantum technology, but I believe one of my biggest contributions would be enabling others to do the same as me, it is the multiplier effect. My impact is even bigger when I help give someone else tools to make their own impact.”

People ask Anisha what’s next. Don’t be surprised by her answer:

“I want to impact billions, change the world. It might sound like a 15-year-old’s naïve dream but that’s okay. I want to solve world problems using cutting-edge technology and at the same time, enable others to do the same. I’m super excited to build the future.”

Want to know more about Anisha’s amazing efforts? Log onto her website, Anisha or the Q-munity website , and perhaps take a look at the conference she’s setting up on February 6-7, 2021.

A recent article in Physics magazine addressed the need for better education in quantum physics for university students. The author, Katherine Wright, interviewed scientists and educators who explained just how outdated most undergraduate and even graduate-level courses are in this field. One educator explained that typical quantum physics courses are based on content from physics of the early 1900s, rather than advances that have come during the last 10 years.

Indeed, quantum computing companies are scrambling to find qualified employees, as both established and start-up companies are seeking to fill posts.

A new study conducted by quantum physicists at the University of Colorado, Boulder dug into exactly what companies are seeking in new hires in this fledgling, but rapidly expanding, field.

Rather than focused only on graduates with deep knowledge of quantum physics, companies are most interested in job candidates who are “quantum aware,” meaning they understand the broad concepts behind quantum computing and can discuss them with relative ease. Their findings should be encouraging to students who are intrigued with the field of quantum computing, yet fear they lack sufficient hard-core knowledge. And beyond scientists, quantum computing companies need people to fill posts in sales, marketing, IT and more. Just being quantum-aware can make these individuals qualified.

The Physics article mentioned that “101” courses, with very basic quantum physics information, are now available at the University of Colorado and it is hoped these basic courses will catch on elsewhere. Another industry expert noted that introducing quantum physics at the high school level would be a tremendous way to generate early interest, leading to careers in quantum computing.

Perhaps the most intriguing thinking comes from Chris Ferrie, a renowned quantum physics professor at the University of Technology Sydney and Centre for Quantum Software and Information. Ferrie has taken this thought to another realm – teaching babies!

Ferrie is the author of dozens of children’s books on scientific topics, all aimed at instilling very early interest. His board book Quantum Physics for Babies may sound like a farce, but it is an international best seller. Ferrie explains his interest in writing children’s science books which also includes Quantum Computing for Babies: “It is never too early to introduce children to the wild and wonderful world of science!”

One company in quantum computing, Q-CTRL, has just hired Ferrie as the firm’s Quantum Education Advisor. Q-CTRL is a startup based in Australia with U.S. offices in Los Angeles that applies the principles of control engineering to accelerate the development of quantum technology.

Ferrie, who will continue his university position, will lead content development for a highly interactive educational software Q-CTRL package designed to help non-experts begin their journey in quantum computing. He will work on Q-CTRL’s BLACK OPAL 2.0, which is a major update to this software, designed to help beginners achieve greater performance and results in this early era of error-prone and unstable quantum computers.

By enlisting the expertise of a writer who produces educational scientific books for babies and toddlers, Q-CTRL has demonstrated the urgent need to help adults navigate the complex topics involved in quantum computing.