Quantum Computing: The Silent Superweapon America Might Already Be Hiding in a Basement.

While AI sings and dances for public approval, quantum computing lurks backstage, ready to rewrite the script of power, privacy, and possibly the human genome.

Jul 12, 2025

From Opinion Piece to Existential Crisis.

I started this article with the noble intent of writing a light opinion piece — a casual moan, a few jabs at tech bros, maybe a witty remark about quantum physics sounding like something you pretend to understand on a first date.

But then I looked into it. And, as it turns out, things are quite a bit more serious than I’d hoped. AI might be the popular prom queen of technology right now, but quantum computing? That’s the quiet, nerdy kid at the back of the room who’s secretly building a death ray — and it might already be working.

The Quantum-AI Power Couple You Should Definitely Fear.

While everyone’s busy feeding AI prompts and pretending it’s not scraping their emails, another revolution is quietly brewing. Quantum computing — with its reality-bending ability to process simultaneous outcomes via qubits — will make classical computing look like a Victorian abacus with trust issues.

Now imagine AI on quantum steroids: faster machine learning, molecular simulations in seconds, predictive models that don’t need a pandemic to break them. Once you plug a quantum processor into an AI system and then feed it the unfiltered mess of human data we’ve happily handed over for years, the results could be groundbreaking.

Actually, no — they will be. Uncomfortably so.

Researchers at IBM, Google, and Baidu are already exploring this terrifying duet, experimenting with quantum machine learning. Most of it is buried under layers of jargon and caution, but don’t let that fool you — this is real.

America: Where Breakthroughs Go to Be Co-Opted by the NSA.

If you’ve got a groundbreaking tech idea, the United States may seem like the perfect place to launch it — deep talent pools, oceans of capital, and the inescapable lure of Silicon Valley brunch culture. But there’s a darker twist to this story.

If your tech looks useful to national security, expect a knock on the door. If it looks very useful, the door may no longer exist by the time the U.S. government’s done with you.

From the NSA’s infamous PRISM program to murky “national interest” clauses, America has many creative ways of taking a peek under the bonnet of your invention. This is a country where “data privacy” means “we’ll get around to ignoring it later.”

Who Else Is Playing the Game?

Globally, it’s a scramble. China’s building entire cities for quantum research. The EU is holding awkward meetings about regulation while funding projects five years behind the curve. Canada — possibly by accident — is quietly becoming a player, funding cutting-edge research in Toronto, Vancouver, and Waterloo.

Meanwhile, Europe is also producing ethically-minded AI startups that reject Silicon Valley’s “move fast and break democracies” model. They’re not quantum-heavy (yet), but they could offer templates for future decentralised quantum applications.

Could Canada or Scandinavia become quantum havens? Possibly — but they’d better act quickly before DARPA opens another front.

Governments, Control, and the Creeping Dystopia.

If you’re thinking, “Surely this will be used for good, right?” Well… Maybe.

Quantum-enhanced AI could help governments manage infrastructure, detect fraud, and fight climate change. But it could just as easily be used to monitor populations, predict unrest, crack encrypted communications, and give unelected officials godlike access to your digital life.

With America’s record on mass surveillance, warrantless data collection, and the occasional war… Let’s just say we shouldn’t assume the best.

But Wait — There Is Good News: Medicine.

Here’s where things get less terrifying.

Quantum computing could revolutionise medicine — identifying drug compounds, simulating protein folding in seconds, creating bespoke treatments for individuals, and even pre-emptively modelling the spread of new diseases.

In the right hands, this tech could reduce suffering globally. In the wrong hands, well… I hope you’ve got good insurance.

How Will This Affect Normal Humans (a.k.a. Us)?

Expect change — deep, structural change — in these areas:

• Banking & Finance: Fraud detection that knows you’re dodgy before you do.

• Transportation: Real-time traffic coordination powered by quantum logistics.

• Energy: Better distribution, cleaner systems — unless ExxonMobil gets to it first.

• Privacy: Mostly dead. Possibly cremated.

In the short term, expect confusion, wealth consolidation, and lots of TED Talks. In the long term, a possible techno-utopia. Or the Matrix. Who knows?

The Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted.

Quantum computing won’t announce itself with a PR campaign. It’ll arrive quietly, in closed labs and confidential memos, far from the TikTok hype. And one day, suddenly, encryption won’t work. Stock markets will react to events that haven’t happened yet. And someone in Langley or Menlo Park will hold the most powerful tool since the atomic bomb.

So by all means, enjoy AI But keep one eye on the quantum shadows — because that’s where the future’s really being written.

Thank you for reading! If you liked this article, I would greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to hit the share button. And if you’d like to see more content like this, please take just a couple of seconds to subscribe below!

If you’re interested in supporting the work I do, donations on Ko-fi can be as little as the price of a coffee, and for those looking to provide long-term support, there are annual subscriptions available through the Substack subscription page. Every contribution, no matter how small, is greatly appreciated! Otherwise, I’ll still love a Sub & Share which costs absolutely nothing.

Tip Jar

The Great Tech Taming: China Gagged Its Unicorns—Maybe the West Should’ve Taken Notes

James Macleod

Apr 29

The Great Tech Taming: China Gagged Its Unicorns—Maybe the West Should’ve Taken Notes

Turns out, a government seizing control of its tech titans might be less dystopian than watching them fold like paper cranes under political pressure.

Read full story

Sera

Jul 12

The question of whether it will be weaponized can be answered by a quick look at history. It took about ten years after Kitty Hawk for airplanes to be used to kill people.

In the great 1965 film, Richard Burton’s “Becket” introduces the fork to court dining. The King muses: “I wonder how long it will take before my Barons try to stab each other with it”

Expand full comment

Surprised no mention of isntreal, considering they had hopped on it eerily early

1 reply

1 more comment...

Quantum Computing: The Silent Superweapon America Might Already Be Hiding in a Basement.

While AI sings and dances for public approval, quantum computing lurks backstage, ready to rewrite the script of power, privacy, and possibly the human genome.

The Great Tech Taming: China Gagged Its Unicorns—Maybe the West Should’ve Taken Notes

Discussion about this post