Canada’s Quantum Internet: Prospects and Perils

April 20, 2021

Quantum information science harnesses the strange properties of quantum physics to perform new kinds of communication and computation. A future internet that uses quantum networks and quantum computers has the potential to enable many new applications for governments and civil society. Canada has emerged as a leader in quantum information science, and academic and commercial labs are actively experimenting with quantum networks. Yet with any great technological promise there is also danger.

Architects of the classical internet did not anticipate the crises of disinformation, cybersecurity, and surveillance that plague global networks. As we look toward a possible future quantum internet, what risks and challenges should we anticipate? How can Canada best position itself to take advantage of its own potential for innovation in quantum technology?

This panel brings together experts to discuss the political, economic, and scientific implications of quantum communications, for Canada and the world.

Speakers

Francesco Bova
Panelist
Associate Professor, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto

Anne Broadbent
Panelist
Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Ottawa

Jon Lindsay
Panelist
Assistant Professor, Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy and Department of Political Science, University of Toronto

Cristoph Simon
Panelist
Professor and Associate Head, Research, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary

Dan Patterson
Moderator
Technology Reporter, CBS News

This event is sponsored by the Innovation Policy Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy.