The
profession
that
can’t
figure
out
how
to
avoid
citing
fake
cases
from
artificial
intelligence
will
soon
deal
with
a
technology
far
more
revolutionary.
This
month,
Google
unveiled
its
new
Willow
chip,
heralding
a
significant
leap
in
quantum
computing.
Dare
we
say
a
Quantum
Leap?
No,
we
dare
not.
Still,
this
is
a
science
that
confused
the
hell
out
of
Einstein
so
we
just
can’t
wait
to
see
how
lawyers
screw
this
one
up!
Quantum
computing
replacing
binary
ones-and-zeroes
computing
with
qubits
that
can
simultaneously
behave
as
ones
and
zeroes.
It’s
the
technological
equivalent
of
being
able
to
answer
“it
depends”
and
we
all
know
how
important
that
is
for
legal
reasoning.
Being
able
to
use
a
qubit
to
exist
as
0-0,
0-1,
1-1,
and
1-0
all
at
the
same
time
opens
the
door
to
an
exponential
explosion
in
computing
power
as
qubits
are
stacked
atop
each
other.
Google’s
announcement
claimed
that
Willow
took
5
minutes
to
complete
a
computation
that
today’s
fastest
supercomputer
would
crack
in
10
septillion
years.
Let’s
round
it
up
to
6
minutes
and
bill
it
as
“0.1
—
further
work.”
That’s
why
it
feels
like
the
next
big
thing
for
the
profession
—
starting
as
early
as
2025
—
will
be
quantum
computing.
Generative
AI
enjoyed
a
couple
years
in
the
spotlight
and
we
all
had
a
lot
of
fun.
It
drove
every
legal
technology
conversation
as
we
aired
all
our
daydreams
about
AI’s
potential
to
radically
alter
the
profession.
Even
though
its
current,
far
from
“smart”
iteration
is
likely
as
good
as
it
gets,
it’s
still
a
powerful
tool
for
automating
rote
tasks
and
big
data
crunching
—
abilities
that
could
end
the
stranglehold
of
the
billable
hour
(video).
But
it’s
not
a
robot
lawyer
and
won’t
be
without
revolutions
in
other
fields
of
tech.
However,
quantum
computing
could
go
a
long
way
toward
accelerating
AI.
Even
without
harnessing
dilithium
crystals
to
provide
the
levels
of
power
needed
to
move
AI
beyond
its
“glorified
Clippy”
stage,
quantum
computing
can
supercharge
the
algorithms
behind
AI
tech.
As
Foreign
Policy
columnist
Vivek
Wadhwa
and
director
of
the
Stanford
Center
for
Responsible
Quantum
Technology
Mauritz
Kop
noted
in
2022,
“artificial
intelligence
is
as
self-aware
as
a
paper
clip”
but
quantum
computing
could
allow
large
language
models
to
utilize
exponentially
more
parameters
and
learn
it
all
faster
and
using
less
energy.
That
said,
the
impact
this
technology
has
on
lawyers
will
be
felt
more
in
cybersecurity
than
AI.
Cybersecurity
was
already
set
to
be
a
hot
topic
for
lawyers
in
2025
with
a
new
administration
committed
to
starting
a
trade
war
with
America’s
most
technologically
advanced
adversaries
while
simultaneously
threatening
to
walk
away
from
global
cyber
commitments,
slash
funding
for
the
Cybersecurity
and
Infrastructure
Security
Agency,
and
place
Homeland
Security
under
the
stewardship
of
the
only
governor
who
turned
down
free
cybersecurity
money.
But
she
can
protect
America
from
adorable
puppies,
so
there’s
that.
As
if
the
U.S.
—
and
by
extension,
the
Western
corporate
world
—
wasn’t
exposed
enough,
advances
in
quantum
computing
would
allow
hackers
to
brute
force
blow
through
existing
security
protocols.
Eventually,
quantum
computing
will
also
allow
unbreakable
security
when
the
tech
creates
ever
changing
and
improbably
dense
encryptions
to
stay
ahead.
Unfortunately,
the
damage
may
already
be
done
without
you
knowing
it.
Hacking
entities
are
suspected
of
engaging
in
“hack
now,
decrypt
later”
tactics,
gathering
well-secured
data
now
in
the
hope
of
cracking
it
open
once
burgeoning
technology
delivers
that
power.
Law
firms
have
long
been
viewed
as
a
soft
underbelly
of
security
—
see
Panama
Papers
—
but
quantum
computing
risks
turning
even
the
most
responsible
firms
into
targets
when
today’s
top-of-the-line
security
is
able
to
be
cracked
within
minutes.
Beyond
data
privacy,
quantum
computing
opens
a
can
of
intellectual
property
worms:
The
rapid
processing
speed
of
quantum
computers
could
facilitate
the
infringement
of
intellectual
property
rights
by
allowing
the
copying
and
modification
of
large
amounts
of
data
almost
instantaneously.
Lawyers
must
be
alert
to
the
evolution
of
intellectual
property
laws
and
work
on
new
legal
strategies
to
protect
their
clients’
rights
in
this
new
technological
environment.
And
if
you
thought
the
ownership
of
a
code
only
prompted
by
a
human
but
created
by
existing
AI
raised
IP
concerns,
wait
until
a
quantum-powered
algorithm
is
inventing
new
pharmaceuticals.
Kop
sees
an
urgent
need
for
drafting
legal
and
regulatory
frameworks
before
this
technology
is
fully
realized…
which
isn’t
that
far
off:
And
many
of
the perils
and
risks are
unknown
because
they
are
beyond
our
current
imagination.
Breaking
cryptography
and
classical
data
security,
that’s
the
one
“use
case”
people
are
most
afraid
of
right
now.
We
call
that
“Q-Day”,
the
day
when
quantum
computers
suddenly
break
the
Internet.
And
we
are
looking
at
a
time
frame
of
just
three
years
for
that,
so
there
is
tremendous
urgency
here
to
get
things
right,
both
on
the
software
and
hardware
side
of
things.
And
then
there
are
huge
risks
associated
with
authoritarianism
and
state
surveillance,
because
quantum
is
ubiquitous
and
potentially
dual
use.
Quantum
Artificial
Intelligence
(QAI)
will
be
like
AI
on
steroids.
It’s
a dictator’s
dream.
“Three
years,”
“break
the
internet,”
and
“dictator’s
dream”
amount
to
a
troubling
game
of
Mad
Libs.
Kop
said
that
in
April
when
quantum
computing
was
still
held
in
check.
Google’s
saying
it’s
gotten
quantum
errors
—
the
drift
into
wrongness
that
can
happen
as
all
this
spooky
action
heaps
upon
itself
—
below
threshold,
meaning
the
more
qubits
they’re
adding,
the
fewer
errors
they’re
getting.
Will
2025
be
the
year
of
quantum?
It
might
still
be
slightly
early.
But
Kop’s
warning
that
legal
needs
to
get
on
top
of
this
technology
before
it
reaches
full
realization
means
2025
should
be
the
year
of
quantum
for
the
legal
industry.
Earlier:
For
The
Love
Of
All
That
Is
Holy,
Stop
Blaming
ChatGPT
For
This
Bad
Brief
Generative
AI…
What
If
This
Is
As
Good
As
It
Gets?
Joe
Patrice is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law
and
co-host
of
Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
Feel
free
to email
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments.
Follow
him
on Twitter or
Bluesky
if
you’re
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Joe
also
serves
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Managing
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