Y43: Industry, Innovation, and National Security: Finding the Right Balance

Fri. March 8, 8:00 a.m. – 8:36 a.m. CST

Auditorium 1

Quantum computing is one of a few emerging technologies with potentially profound national security implications that are being developed largely in the private sector. As a leader in the field, Google Quantum AI is focused on balancing collaboration and national security protection. Open collaboration is key for US companies’ competitiveness, particularly in emerging technology areas where a lot of basic research is still required to achieve success. It’s also important that we be able to hire or collaborate with the world’s best researchers and companies, but some policy mechanisms restrict such interactions for national security reasons.  Balancing the need for collaboration with US national security and our own commercial interests in protecting intellectual property is a complex task. In this talk, I’ll explore how Google Quantum AI balances robust, international collaboration with IP protection and consideration of national security impacts of our work. I’ll also discuss existing public policy mechanisms for national security protection that impact the private sector (e.g. export controls) and their limitations, along with potential new policies or programs that could help address gaps.