Responsible Innovation in Quantum Tech
In late October, Imperial College hosted a workshop on Responsible Innovation in NQIT which brought together members of the policymaking, industry, and research communities. The workshop was an opportunity for collaborative cross-sector discussion on the ethical and social challenges posed by recent progress in quantum computing, an issue of utmost importance to those working in the area of global uncertainties. This was the end of the first phase of the UK’s National Quantum Technologies program, and sessions throughout the day focused on responsible innovation, the current state of quantum technology, and policy implications for the future of quantum tech. Co-Chairing the day’s panels was Dr Tristram Riley-Smith, PaCCS research champion.
The report resulting from this workshop has now been released, covering the day’s presentations as well as the question and answer sessions. Topics addressed in the report include issues as wide ranging as how responsible innovation can be embedded in academic communities, and the difficulty in conveying issues such as privacy in technology through art. The report’s conclusions highlight the leading position of the UK’s quantum research community, while emphasizing the ongoing opportunities for individuals to learn from the work conducted by researchers and policy makers in this area. The Responsible Innovation in NQIT – Showcase Report can be found here.
Those behind the NQIT project have also released a video which showcases highlight’s from the days events. The video can be found here.
The Principal Investigator of the Responsible Innovation in National Quantum Information Technologies project is Prof Marina Jirotka from the University of Oxford‘s Department of Computer Science. Prof Jirotka is a member of the broader PaCCS network, having previously received a grant to do work on ethics and rights in a security context which resulted in the Digital Wildfire project. This project, completed in 2016, focused on misinformation flows, propagation and responsible governance.
