Posted: 10th December 2024

The ‘Public Dialogue on Quantum Computing’ report highlights growing public awareness of quantum computing, coupled with concerns over potential risks and excitement about its transformative benefits. 

The Responsible Technology Institute in partnership with the Quantum Computing and Simulation Hub, both based at the University of Oxford, undertook public dialogue research to gain insight into the UK public’s knowledge of and attitudes toward quantum computing. The ‘Public Dialogue on Quantum Computing’ report was conducted by Verian and surveyed over 1,000 UK residents and held workshops with 45 participants. 

The report highlighted widespread recognition of the term ‘quantum computer’: 

• 60% of survey respondents were familiar with the concept (though deeper understanding remains limited) 

• 5% claimed substantial knowledge 

• 31% had heard of it but knew little  

In workshops, participants showed excitement about the potential benefits of quantum computers and were enthusiastic about the ways in which they could be used to support healthcare treatments and responses to climate change. Respondents were also supportive of the development of quantum computing for security and defence, despite some concerns.  

Respondents were also concerned about possible job losses from automation and amplified risks from quantum-enhanced AI, and they strongly supported regulation and public involvement to guide ethical development and ensure quantum computing is used for the benefit of society over corporate interests. Overall, there was broad agreement on the importance of the UK advancing quantum technology to avoid falling behind other nations. 

‘It was exciting to see just how much more awareness there was about quantum computing than the previous Public Dialogue exercise in 2017. The strong opinions we saw about technology governance were very interesting, with citizens seeking regulation or other governance measures to ensure that negative impacts of technology can be mitigated.' Senior Researcher Carolyn Ten Holter

The Responsible Technology Institute focuses on engaging with industry, policymakers, and the general public to work on ways in which principles of good governance, transparency, and other aspects of responsible development can be translated from the research environment into the commercial sector.  

Quantum computing is an emerging field of computer science harnessing the power of quantum mechanics to solve problems beyond the ability of classical supercomputers. Quantum is one of the department’s ten research themes and rapid developments in the field in recent years have seen a global surge in interest and investment.  

You can read the full report here. An RTI project also recently published a white paper Towards Responsible Quantum Computing which you can read more about here.