Insider Brief:
- The Quantum for Good track at AI for Good 2025 provided a dedicated space for global leaders to address governance, equity, and readiness across quantum sensing, communication, and computing.
- Panels emphasized anticipatory policymaking, inclusive access, and workforce development, with speakers urging the field to build frameworks before commercialization accelerates.
- Key sessions showcased the absence of a single quantum timeline and highlighted the importance of standards, diplomacy, and cross-sector collaboration.
- With AI development prompting increased debate, the summit positioned quantum as a field that still has time to embed ethical principles, global equity, and scientific integrity from the start.
At this year’s AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva, quantum technologies had their own dedicated track, Quantum for Good, which offered a distinct space for focused discussions on governance, real-world use cases, and global coordination. Far from being an add-on, the two-day track demonstrated how the quantum ecosystem is approaching maturity in its discourse, even as the technology itself remains in development.
Conceived and led by Gillian Makamara, Project Officer at the International Telecommunication Union, the Quantum for Good track addressed the field’s most pressing questions: how quantum systems will be governed, who will benefit, and how readiness should be defined across sensing, communication, and computation.
Quantum in the Context of AI
While AI dominated the summit with demos and diplomatic statements, the quantum sessions were a contrast in tone and content, focusing on long-term thinking, policy development, and foundational science. With AI already deployed globally and facing urgent calls for regulation, quantum remains upstream. That gives the field a unique opportunity to establish frameworks for access, safety, and equity before commercialization accelerates.
This contrast also raises strategic questions: Can quantum avoid the pitfalls AI is now navigating? Can it embed responsible innovation from the start?
Framing the Field: A Physical Timeline Exercise
One of the most impactful sessions was a panel moderated by Ulrich Mans of Quantum Delta, where speakers physically placed themselves along a 20-year timeline based on how close their respective technologies were to commercial deployment. The panel featured voices from across quantum sensing, communication, and computing.
The session brought to light a profound insight: there is no single quantum timeline. Each technology progresses according to different technical demands and infrastructure readiness. Sensing appeared closest to impact, followed by communication. Computation, especially fault-tolerant quantum systems, remained the farthest out, speaking to the long-term nature of this domain.
This exercise forced public, contextualized reasoning around readiness, an uncommon dynamic in typical quantum events, where timelines are often avoided or left vague.
The full-day workshop on quantum included multiple panels and remarks from international organizations:
- Opening Remarks from Seizo Onoe (ITU), Sameer Chauhan (UNICC), and Leandro Aolita (Quantum Research Center) emphasized that quantum is both early and top of mind. Speakers framed it as a technology that must be built inclusively from the ground up, with Chauhan asking: “How do we not just harness this technology, but make sure that as large a part of humanity can benefit from it as possible?”
- From Idea to Impact, moderated by Catherine Lefebvre (GESDA), showcased quantum’s role in sectors such as water management, secure communication, and climate adaptation. Organizations like the Open Quantum Institute are prioritizing global, inclusive access. Speakers emphasized that cross-disciplinary collaboration is essential to making quantum solutions relevant and deployable.
- Quantum Security and Migration Readiness was another focal point. Mira Wolf-Bauwens stressed the urgency: “We’re already too late.” Microsoft’s approach emphasized layered preparation: assess your cloud provider, your vendors, and your own code.
- International Collaboration and Consortia: Leaders from QED-C, QuIC, and Q-STAR explored how industry groups can build trust, standards, and technical common ground even across geopolitically divided regions. The discussion highlighted the need to govern dual-use risks while enabling innovation.
- Cierra Choucair, Strategic Content Director at The Quantum Insider, closed the day with a five-minute overview of the quantum ecosystem. She broke down the state of the field into funding, commercialization, hardware maturity, and public awareness. She emphasized that usefulness, not hype, should drive the conversation.
Building the Quantum Future: Who Leads, Who Benefits, and What Lasts
The second day moved from technical timelines to diplomacy, education, and equitable development:
- In a session around quantum technology and diplomacy, Ambassador Omar Zniber and physicist-entrepreneur Eleni Diamanti emphasized the need for anticipatory governance. Diamanti called for co-designed observatories–spaces where science, policy, and industry align early to prevent governance gaps.
- The Quantum for All panel questioned whether current narratives around “quantum for good” are backed by evidence or merely aspirational. Claire Shelley-Egan and Justine Lacey pushed for fitness-for-purpose evaluation and risk framing from the start, warning against empty slogans. The consensus was that equity must be built in, not added later.
- Workforce Development emerged as a persistent challenge. The “Voices of Future Leaders” panel, including students and young researchers, called for better lab access, clearer career paths, and early exposure. As panelist Caden Kacmarynski noted, “Communication trumps calculus.” The future of quantum depends on purpose-driven, accessible pathways.
- In the closing keynote, Leandro Aolita provided a sweeping historical view, tying quantum to broader scientific progress. He reiterated that the field must remain grounded in deep R&D, and not short-term hype.
Standards, Trust, and What Comes Next
The final panel, Future Standards for Frontier Tech, was moderated by Cierra Choucair and featured Professor Qiang Zhang of the Jinan Institute of Quantum Technology. The panel addressed the role of standards in ensuring interoperability, security, and equitable global development. Zhang highlighted that although quantum is hardware-led, now is the time to build international trust and alignment.
The summit concluded with four announcements directly tied to accelerating global collaboration and access:
- The Quantum for Good track will return in 2026, with plans for broader cross-sector engagement.
- A Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) network pilot will launch between ITU and the UNICC in Geneva.
- A multilingual quantum literacy course is underway to support underserved communities.
- The Quantum Insider and ITU will co-launch the Quantum World Tour in September 2025 to spotlight quantum ecosystems worldwide.
Quantum’s Early Advantage:
While AI remains the dominant technology of the moment, quantum is beginning to define its own trajectory, though not through rapid deployment, but rather careful, intentional progress. The Quantum for Good track at AI for Good 2025 demonstrated that the field is ready to ask critical questions around governance, inclusion, and long-term value before the technology reaches mass scale.
In contrast to the reactive posture AI now finds itself in, quantum has time to reflect. That window won’t remain open forever. But for now, it’s a rare chance to shape the future of a technology before it’s fully here.
