“In some sense, we already have very special purpose quantum simulators that already do things that are interesting to physicists, it's just that most of those systems, we don't call quantum computers, because they're all completely specialized to one purpose. And what you really want is a programmable device.”

Scott Aaronson is a Professor of Computer Science at The University of Texas and director of its Quantum Information Center. His research center on the capabilities and limits of quantum computers.

In this episode of the podcast, Scott gives a brief introduction to the history of the field of quantum computation and answers questions on everything from what he thinks quantum computing could mean for AI take-off speed to what scientific fields he believes could benefit the most from quantum computing.

Session Summary: https://foresight.org/newsletter/scott-aaronson-quantum-computing-qa-july-2-11-am-pt/

Music:

I Knew a Guy by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Covert Affair - Film Noire by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The Foresight Institute is a research organization and non-profit that supports the beneficial development of high-impact technologies. Since our founding in 1987 on a vision of guiding powerful technologies, we have continued to evolve into a many-armed organization that focuses on several fields of science and technology that are too ambitious for legacy institutions to support.

Allison Duettmann is the president and CEO of Foresight Institute. She directs the Intelligent Cooperation, Molecular Machines, Biotech & Health Extension, Neurotech, and Space Programs, Fellowships, Prizes, and Tech Trees, and shares this work with the public. She founded Existentialhope.com, co-edited Superintelligence: Coordination & Strategy, co-authored Gaming the Future, and co-initiated The Longevity Prize. 

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