The Quantum Social Lab (QSL) is a joint initiative of the Chair for Public Policy, Governance and Innovative Technology and the TUM Think Tank. Co-led by Prof. Urs Gasser, Fabienne Marco and Philip Pfaller, the QSL focuses on the impact of emerging second-generation quantum technologies on society.
The Lab and its Mission
Second-generation quantum technologies, such as quantum computing, quantum enhanced sensing or the quantum internet, are expected to have a profound and disruptive impact on our society. Exploiting the sometimes counter-intuitive principles of quantum physics, these technologies promise to surpass their classical counterparts for certain tasks in terms of both capability and efficiency. Future quantum computers, for example, might be able to break currently employed encryption protocols, enhance artificial intelligence or enable the development of novel, individualized medicine.
Kicked-off at the Transatlantic Quantum Forum, with support from leading research institutions such as Yale University and Arizona State University, the Quantum Social Lab focuses on exploring the societal implications of quantum technologies, quantum education and contributing to a responsible governance of quantum innovation. Mitigating quantum technology’s potential risks for global stability and ensuring an adaptation of quantum technologies beneficial for the society is a complex task that involves many stakeholders. To address this challenge, the QSL collaborates with leading research institutions, the public and private sector, and members of the civil society.
The QuantWorld Project
An important milestone for the Quantum Social Lab has been the start of the QuantWorld project in 2023, a research project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Led by the Quantum Social Lab, in collaboration with Fraunhofer AISEC and TUM University Hospital Rechts der Isar, the project aims to impart knowledge of second-generation quantum technologies in a target-oriented manner and to make it possible to experience them. The project focuses on applications of quantum technologies for mobility, banking and medicine. QuantWorld’s main deliverable is an online learning platform making the resulting research insights accessible to the general public, employing artistic interventions.
An integral part of the project is the Young Quantum Social Scientists (YQSS) Program. Bringing together students from diverse backgrounds in a one-year scholarship program, the YQSS program is one of the QSL’s contributions to educating a new generation of political scientists in the context of emerging quantum technologies. The YQSS participants directly contribute to the QuantWorld project by supporting its partners and driving their own research projects on quantum technology’s societal implications.
Outlook
The QSL aims at initiating and driving research projects on the whole scale of quantum technology’s implications. Upcoming research initiatives include collaborations on ensuring the global south’s participation in quantum innovation processes and on quantum natural language processing. If you are interested in collaborating with the Quantum Social Lab, feel free to reach out to Fabienne Marco (fabienne.marco@tum.de).