Visions of quantum computing: An ethical assessment

Visions of future technologies shape their development trajectories, making them important objects of ethical analysis. This paper examines contemporary visions of quantum computing and the futures they project. First, we analyse vision statements by key actors in the field, focusing on anticipated technical affordances, the applications these give rise to, their associated domains, and the value-laden terms used to describe these projections. Drawing on these insights, we distil four main visions of quantum computing, each framing its societal relevance differently: as a contributor to the public good, a scientific tool, an economic asset, or a geopolitical advantage. Second, we highlight ethically salient patterns and presuppositions embedded within these visions, including a pervasive techno-optimism paired with techno-solutionist reasoning; the prevalence of promissory language used to legitimise innovation agendas; and a morally ambivalent discourse shaped by the interests of a narrow group of powerful actors. Taken together, these features form a figurative heatmap of potential ethical concerns in contemporary visions of quantum computing that warrant closer ethical scrutiny and point to avenues for further research.