Ethical Dilemmas in Quantum Computing

Abstract

Thematic Area: widening access and inclusion From Schrödinger’s Box to Global Fairness: Ethical Dilemmas in Quantum Computing Abstract: Workshop application In the near future, quantum computing may fundamentally reshape our world: problems that once took years to solve could be unraveled in seconds. Yet access to quantum computing remains scarce, costly, and concentrated in the hands of a few corporations and research alliances. This workshop addresses a central ethical question: who should have access to this emerging resource—and on what moral grounds? We conceptualize quantum computing time as an emergent epistemic good (based on the ideas of Miranda Fricker) within a hybrid landscape: while most computations will continue to rely on classical resources, certain problems will increasingly demand quantum capacity. This hybridity raises questions of fairness, since epistemic advantage will depend not only on technical skill but also on access to scarce quantum infrastructures. Drawing on five perspectives—from medical research and climate modeling to cybersecurity, innovation in the private sector, and global poverty reduction—we explore how existential risks, individual interests, and the common good might be reconciled. As a thought experiment, a fictional global ethics council evaluates competing claims, highlighting the need for justice, inclusion, and ethical foresight in shaping access. Key questions include: What moral obligations arise from treating QC capacity as an epistemic good? How should access be widened to include marginalized communities, the Global South, and underfunded institutions? What principles of fairness and inclusion should guide the governance of this resource before inequalities become entrenched? The goal of the workshop is to collaboratively define ethical principles for allocating quantum computing resources in a hybrid future and to develop recommendations for inclusion policies within quantum education ecosystems—opening Schrödinger’s box not to unleash chaos, but to ensure that quantum futures are guided by ethical insight and shared responsibility. Keywords Quantum education, epistemic goods, access & inclusion, hybrid infrastructures, ethics, global justice