Implications of Quantum Computing for Artificial Intelligence alignment research

Quantum Computing (QC) is a disruptive technology that may not be too far ahead in the horizon. Small proof-of-concept quantum computers have already been built [1] and major obstacles to large-scale quantum computing are being heavily researched [2] . Among its potential uses, QC will allow breaking classical cryptographic codes, simulate large quantum systems and faster search and optimization [3] . This last use case is of particular interest to Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy. In particular, variants of the Grover algorithm can be exploited to gain a quadratic speedup in search problems, and some recent Quantum Machine Learning (QML) developments have led to exponential gains in certain Machine Learning tasks [4] (though with important caveats which may invalidate their practical use [5]). These ideas have the potential to exert a transformative effect on research in AI (as noted in [6], for example). Furthermore the technical aspects of QC, which put some physical limits on the observation of the inner workings of a quantum machine and hinder the verification of quantum computations [7], may pose an additional challenge for AI Alignment concerns. In this short article we introduce a heuristic model of quantum computing that captures the most relevant characteristics of QC for technical AI Alignment research.