Ethical lessons from the second quantum revolution
Chair(s): Benedict Lane (TU Delft, Netherlands, The)
The SPT2025 conference theme, “The Intimate Technological Revolution,” highlights the profound ways emerging technologies are transforming personal, societal, and political landscapes. Quantum Technologies (QT), as a major contemporary frontier of technological innovation, exemplify these transformative dynamics through their implications for individual moral responsibility, national technological sovereignty, international ethical governance, and global security. Thus, the “second quantum revolution” can be viewed as an important contemporaneous counterpart of the “intimate technological revolution” – these parallel revolutions can be seen as mutually reinforcing, both thematically and in their concrete impact on society. As with the intimate technological revolution, the multilayered and deeply interconnected ethical ramifications of QT force us to reevaluate many established ways of thinking ethically about technology, with important lessons to be learned even beyond the context of QT.
This panel examines the socio-politico-ethical challenges posed by QT, and aims to enrich the broader discourse on the ethical impact of technology on society by using QT as a case study through which to explore:
i) the appropriateness of dominant normative frameworks for assessing emerging technologies, such as QT, given existing interdependencies and dynamics of power;
ii) the development of governance structures aimed at anticipating the societal impact of emerging technologies, such as QT, the role of different stakeholders in shaping and assessing such structures, and the interplay between discourses surrounding the governance of different emerging technologies, such as QT and AI;
iii) the connections between the geopolitical strategic implications of emerging technologies, such as QT, and the (potentially irresponsible) escalatory discourse surrounding them;
iv) the roles and responsibilities of engineers and scientists with regards to the ethics and responsible governance of technological innovation and with respect to ongoing changes in the societal mandate for science;
v) the role of inclusive ecosystem design, equitable access to education and careers, and stakeholder engagement in tackling systematic demographic biases in the innovation process.
This panel builds on the success and momentum of an earlier panel, going beyond previous discourse by connecting the ethics of QT to the ethical vulnerabilities, risks, and opportunities inherent in technological innovation. Incorporating insights from applied ethics, political philosophy, and Science and Technology Studies (STS), the panel offers a multidimensional exploration of the ethical implications of QT, bridging theoretical inquiry with practical ethical challenges, and offering insights relevant to engineers, policymakers, and philosophers of technology alike. By emphasizing the multidimensionality and interconnectedness of the ethical issues surrounding QT, the panel raises ethical questions and contributes ethical insights with significant relevance for the intimate technological revolution.
Presentations of the Symposium
Identifying alternatives to the de facto division of moral labour in ELSA engagement with quantum technology development
Clare Shelley-Egan, Benedict Lane
Faculty of Technology, Policy, and Management, TU Delft
The formulation of an ELSA or Quantum and Society ‘approach’ is central to our role as ELSA researchers within the Dutch quantum innovation ecosystem. Notwithstanding Key Performance Indicators orienting our ELSA work, there is also a need to think concretely and effectively about how to engage with scientists embedded in the ecosystem. The limitations of ELSA studies have been well rehearsed, while the outcomes of ELSA studies have generally been modest, ranging from some modifications to research agendas, to increased reflexivity.
In this contribution, we engage with one key point of criticism of ELSA as a normative programme: that is, the division of moral labour that exists between ELSA researchers and natural scientists and technology developers. This division manifests such that ELSA scholars are tasked with addressing ethical, governance and broader issues, while scientists and developers proceed with work on scientific, technical and engineering issues, without concerning themselves with the ethical, legal, or social aspects of their work. This division of moral labour is historically entrenched and difficult to overcome, given the contemporary landscape of research and organisation and the nature of ‘organised irresponsibility’.
This contribution engages with this lack of integration of labours through a pragmatist lens, going beyond descriptive and historical engagement with this divide to offer building blocks to identifying viable alternatives to the current normative arrangement. It does so by engaging with the notion of ‘moral progress’. Pragmatists understand moral progress as “justification that sticks”, where justification itself “emerges from the process of inquiry” (Kitcher, 2021). As a result of shifts in the relationship between science and society and persistent “responsibility gaps” (Da Silva, 2024) in the institution of science, past justifications of the moral division of labour in science and technology research have not “stuck” and therefore require reassessment. We develop a theoretical framework for doing so. We go on to employ our framework constructively to make proposals for future divisions of moral labour in science and technology research. Accordingly, our paper draws out the following questions:
• What kind of division of moral labour would be more suited to our needs in the present?
• What is feasible, for both scientists and ELSA scholars?
• What is justifiable? Do the benefits outweigh the costs, e.g. opportunity costs of missing out on risky innovation?
Responsible innovation ecosystems: advancing quantum for good through gender-transformative approaches
Shamira Ahmed
Faculty of Technology, Policy, and Management, TU Delft
Innovation ecosystems tend to have technology development, risk mitigation, and economic success as the end goals of innovation governance, less is known about the governance of innovation ecosystems with respect to ethical and societal concerns.
As quantum technologies advance, there is a growing need to ensure their development aligns with societal needs, ethical considerations, environmental responsibilities, and gender equality. This paper explores the gender-dimensions (or lack-there of) that shape the development of emerging quantum governance for the public good.
By analysing the gender dimensions of innovation governance in Quantum Delta NL, the Dutch national quantum ecosystem, the study aims to reveal whether the tradeoffs between economic competitiveness and on societal benefits of quantum technology development or what is termed ‘Quantum for Good’ include navigating the gender-dimensions that shape the development and diffusion of quantum governance for the public good.
The paper adopts an interdisciplinary framework, integrating the capabilities approach (Nussbaum, 2011), socio-technical foresight (Geels & Schot, 2007), and design for values (van den Hoven et al., 2015) to frame the gender dimensions of the emerging field of responsible quantum governance. By synthesizing an interdisciplinary framework with emerging research on gender in quantum computing and innovation ecosystems (Granstrand & Holgersson, 2020), the paper aims to identify interventions necessary for an enabling policy and regulatory environment that addresses systemic gender biases in quantum technology development (Kop et al., 2024; Stilgoe et al., 2013).
Beyond co-creating potential interventions that include involve ecosystem actors working closely together to address barriers faced by women in quantum fields, including limited access to resources and representation (Murphy, 2024). The paper will explore strategies for inclusive ecosystem design, equitable access to quantum education and careers, and critical partnerships between stakeholders to drive systemic change in the Netherland’s Quantum ecosystem. Finally the paper will analyse the role of gender-responsive innovation principles in shaping organizational practices and quantum technology applications.
The findings from the paper aims to contribute to the evolving discourse on responsible quantum ecosystem governance, prioritizing gender equality and inclusiveness to support “Quantum for Good” . The findings will provide insights into creating practical frameworks for that address gender dimensions of quantum innovation ecosystems,
offering valuable guidance for a wide range of stakeholders: policymakers, industry leaders, and researchers in navigating the ethical and inclusivity challenges of emerging quantum technologies.
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