So we're diving into AI and quantum computing today, huh?
Seems like Dr. Kristin Gilkes's talk
at that Women in Tech conference
really got people thinking.
And yeah, I get it.
It does feel like we're on the edge
of something really big, game changing even.
Oh, definitely.
The potential, when you bring AI
and quantum computing together, it's huge.
I mean, we could be looking at solving problems
we thought were impossible.
It's funny, right?
Like everyone hears quantum
and their mind goes straight to spaceships
and teleportation, you know, the Marvel stuff.
But Dr. Gilkes, she made it sound like the reality
is even wilder.
For sure.
It's a completely different way of looking at computing.
Our everyday computers, they're all ones and zeros.
Predictable stuff.
Quantum computing, that's not how it works.
Yeah, the whole qubit thing,
my brain kind of stalled out there for a sec.
So it's not a one or a zero,
it's both at the same time somehow.
How does that even?
Okay, okay, think of a regular bit like a coin, right?
Heads or tails?
Can't be both.
Now, a qubit, imagine that coin spinning in the air
before it lands.
It's both possibilities at once, that superposition,
that not sure state, that's where things get interesting.
Okay, I think I'm following.
Yeah.
But how do you actually use that to, you know,
solve problems in the real world?
Dr. Gilkes said something about two two equaling pink.
She did.
Yeah.
Of course, math still works the same way in our world.
But that statement,
it gets at what makes quantum computing special.
It's not just about speed,
it's finding solutions we wouldn't even think to look for.
Imagine asking directions right.
Regular computer, it'll give you the shortest route
using the roads that exist.
Quantum computer, it might find a shortcut
through like the 10th dimension
and get you there 10 times faster.
Whoa, okay, that's a lot.
But let's bring it back down to earth for a minute.
What kind of problems are we talking about
actually solving with this stuff?
Dr. Gilkes, she's really passionate about healthcare, right?
Yeah.
Imagine predicting diseases before someone even gets sick
or treatments tailored to your specific genes.
So instead of just treating symptoms,
we're talking about stopping illness altogether.
Exactly, and it goes beyond healthcare.
Climate change, how the financial system works,
even designing new materials.
These are all areas where quantum computing's power,
combined with how AI learns,
could lead to breakthroughs we can barely imagine.
It's a lot to take in.
Before we get into specific examples,
it's worth remembering,
this isn't some far off sci-fi future, right?
Dr. Gilkes made it seem like it's a lot closer
than people think.
Yeah, she did.
And that's what makes this so exciting,
and maybe a little bit, well, intimidating.
But it's also why we gotta be talking about this now.
What's at stake, how we can make this tech work
for everyone.
Definitely.
And one thing Dr. Gilkes brought up
that stuck with me,
what happens when AI gets as smart as humans,
this NGI, artificial general intelligence,
kind of both cool and freaky, right?
Are we talking helpful robot buddies,
or are we talking robots taking over the world?
Dr. Gilkes seemed pretty optimistic about it all, though.
Yeah, she did.
And I think a lot of that comes from her focusing
on the practical stuff,
how this tech can actually help people not replace them.
Okay, so less robot apocalypse,
more like robots solving all the really hard problems.
Exactly.
She used this example of a doctor's office, right?
But the AI has already looked at your charts.
All your data basically has a diagnosis ready
before you even walk in the door.
Think of all the time and energy that would save,
not to mention catching things early.
That's kind of wild.
It'd be like having a whole team of super doctors
working in the background crunching numbers
so the human doctor can actually, you know,
talk to you, figure out the best way to help.
Right, and it's not just healthcare.
Think about education.
Dr. Gilkes was talking about AI creating custom lesson plans,
adapting to how each student learns best.
No more one size fits all classrooms.
Everyone gets a personalized education.
That would be huge,
especially for kids who don't learn well in the,
you know, the typical classroom setup.
It'd be like having a personal tutor with you all the time.
And it gets even wilder, right?
Because you talked about this recursive learning thing.
So this AI tutor, it's not just adapting to you,
it's learning from how you learn.
It's constantly getting better, smarter,
based on your progress.
Okay, now that is some next level stuff AI
that doesn't just know stuff,
but it actually gets smarter the more it interacts with us.
Kind of amazing, kind of spooky all at once.
Definitely brings up some big questions about,
like what does intelligence even mean anymore, right?
But Dr. Gilkes point is, this isn't some fixed destiny.
We get to decide how this goes,
how to use this tech to make things better for everyone.
And that brings us to the big question, doesn't it?
What's our part in all this?
Because it's easy to get caught up in the,
whoa, cool gadgets part,
but these are powerful tools, right?
Like any tool, they can be used for good,
or well, not so good.
Exactly.
And I think Dr. Gilkes would say,
the most important thing right now is to learn.
Stay informed, what's happening with AI, with quantum,
and to actually talk about it, the ethical stuff.
It's about understanding how amazing it could be,
but also the risks,
making sure we're paying attention as it all develops.
Very sure.
And it's not just up to the governments, the big companies.
It's about having these conversations everywhere,
in our communities, schools, even at the dinner table.
This AI quantum future, it's not happening to us.
It's something we're all gonna be part of.
That's a good point to,
I think to wrap up this part of the discussion,
we've gone from quantum, what is it,
to AI in the doctor's office, to personalized education.
It's a lot.
Barely scratched the surface, really.
Yeah.
But hopefully it's given everyone something to think about,
maybe sparked some curiosity
to learn more about all this.
Before we move on though,
what's stuck with you from all this?
What about Dr. Gilkes vision of the future got you excited,
or maybe a little worried, we wanna know.
It really is amazing to think about, right?
AI and quantum, changing everything,
healthcare, education, like you said.
But I gotta admit, part of me still goes back to,
well, what about jobs?
If this stuff can do everything better and faster,
where does that leave everyone else?
Million dollar question, right.
And to her credit, Dr. Gilkes,
she went right there in her talk.
But her take on it was interesting.
She doesn't see AI as a job destroyer,
more like a job creator.
Even a multiplier, she said.
Multiplier, I'm not sure I follow that one.
So her point was AI, especially with quantum in the mix,
it'll free us up from all the boring stuff,
the repetitive tasks that take up so much of our workday.
Imagine, right, your AI assistant handles scheduling,
emails, even crunching data for you.
What does that free you up to do?
I guess that leaves what, the creative stuff,
the strategy, the big picture thinking,
the things humans are still better at, right?
Algorithms haven't quite figured that out yet.
Exactly.
And Dr. Gilkes, she thinks that shift,
that's where all these new jobs come in, new industries,
whole new ways of working that we haven't even thought of.
It's not replacing us, it's like augmenting us,
helping us do more than we ever could alone.
So less humans versus machines,
more like humans with machines working together.
Exactly.
And this is where Dr. Gilkes got real,
that teamwork, it needs trust.
And that's a whole other can of worms, right?
How do we, like as a society, learn to trust AI,
especially as it gets more complicated, more powerful,
even when we don't get how it makes decisions?
Right, the big ethical question.
What happens if AI does something good, gets a good result,
but we don't understand why?
How does that work with, you know,
wanting things to be transparent, accountable?
Exactly the conversation we need to be having.
Like right now, Dr. Gilkes was saying AI ethics,
that can't be an afterthought.
It needs to be built in from the start,
part of the foundation of this whole technology.
So it's not just about teaching AI to be smart,
it's teaching it to be ethical, to match our values,
even as those values change and grow.
100%.
And that's a conversation everyone needs to be in on.
Not just the tech people, but philosophers, ethicists,
artists, even writers.
We're talking about the moral compass
of some seriously powerful tools here.
That's a big responsibility, but it's also, you know,
a chance to really think about what matters.
What does it mean to be human?
What kind of future are we trying to build?
And that future, like Dr. Gilkes said,
it's not set in stone, right?
We've got this chance to get it right,
to use all this AI, quantum, everything,
to make things fairer, make the world better, more just.
But that won't just happen, it takes work.
We have to pay attention, be involved,
ask the hard questions.
And I think that's the perfect place for us to wrap up.
This has been, well, a lot.
Mind-blowing stuff, things to really think about.
If you're anything like me, you're walking away from this,
both totally pumped about the future,
but maybe a little overwhelmed by how big it all is.
It's a lot to process, definitely.
But that's kind of the exciting part, right?
We're at this edge,
about to see some really incredible things,
and we all get to be part of figuring out what comes next.
So yeah, keep learning, keep asking those questions,
keep talking to each other,
because the future of, well, intelligence,
whatever that even means anymore,
it depends on us figuring this out.
Thanks for being along for the ride, everyone.