The Latest Digital Frontier: Quantum Computing and Artificial Intelligence

I'm a 90s baby who grew up under Florida's Space Coast skies, watching rocket launches that sparked my imagination and interest in aerospace and physics. As a Millennial mother, wife, and neighbor deeply rooted in my Jacksonville, Florida, community, I’ve always been fascinated by the seemingly impossible. My early love for space evolved into a quiet obsession with astrophysics and a lifelong career in information technology, where I’ve worked across service desks, DevOps teams, product support, and knowledge management to answer tough questions in service of others. In 2025, I find myself captivated by the rapid rise of Quantum Computing and Artificial Intelligence (AI) and their implications for our future.

I'm inspired by the physicists who laid the foundation for our modern understanding of the universe — Einstein, Feynman, Hawking, and Newton, for example. Yet, I’m equally intrigued by behavioral economists like Daniel Kahneman, who asserted that economic decision-making doesn’t exist in a vacuum and is affected by immerserably forces such as loss aversion and the limits of our understanding. These dual inspirations fuel my belief that our job as technologists isn't just to build systems but to humanize them, to ensure they improve people’s lives, increase equity, and support digital placemaking efforts.

What Is Quantum Computing?

At its core, Quantum Computing leverages the strange, powerful rules of quantum mechanics. Unlike classical computers that use bits (representing a 0 or 1), quantum computers use qubits, which can exist in superposition — 0, 1, or both at once until measured. This is what gives quantum systems their incredible potential for parallelism. Even more fascinating is entanglement, the phenomenon Einstein called "spooky action at a distance." Two entangled qubits share a state, no matter how far apart they are. When you measure one, the other is instantly affected. In the near future, I can see quantum computing and quantum communications reshaping cybersecurity through unbreakable encryption and even powering new kinds of networks.

However, quantum states are fragile. Chaos and entropy constantly threaten to collapse superposition into classical outcomes. The concept of decoherence — where quantum information leaks into the environment — mirrors a truth I've seen in IT: even apparently definitive systems degrade and yield errors without intentional maintenance. Even the best IT operations require regular oversight and correction to manage systems effectively. As I see it, the science of quantum physics attempts to understand and harness the power of chaos to achieve structured outcomes. That’s why quantum error correction is such a curious topic.

Quantum in the Real World

Some quantum-based technologies have already transformed our lives. Take the atomic clock, which relies on quantum transitions of cesium atoms to measure time with mind-boggling precision. Without it, GPS wouldn’t work. Or consider the laser, which works through stimulated emission—another quantum phenomenon—and is foundational to everything from fiber-optic communication to modern medicine. And now, researchers are working on quantum key distribution (QKD), which uses entangled photons to securely transmit encryption keys. If intercepted, these quantum keys collapse, alerting the sender and receiver to tampering. It’s a reminder that digital trust can be engineered at the physical level.

AI’s Rise and the Role of Processing Power

While quantum computing is still maturing, Artificial Intelligence is already integrated into our daily workflows. From automation scripts to generative AI tools, I’ve seen firsthand how AI can free up our time, streamline operations, and support decision-making. At the University of North Florida, I helped deploy Microsoft Copilot across campus, emphasizing its power to reduce cognitive load and increase efficiency. Quantum chips stand to dramatically enhance the quality of AI prompt results through immense processing power. Compare that to the Apollo 11 mission from 1969, which ran on a computer with just 70 KB of memory. In contrast, the smartphones we carry today are millions of times more powerful. Faithful to predictions by Moore's law, exponentially more powerful technological advancements laid the groundwork for today’s AI models, which are trained on massive datasets and deployed across distributed systems.

I view AI as a tool, not a replacement for human intelligence. In fact, I think the best systems are those that combine human empathy with machine efficiency. In the near future, I can see AI tools becoming more collaborative—co-designers rather than black-box decision-makers.

Quantum-AI Synergy

The most exciting horizon may lie in the intersection of AI and quantum computing. Researchers are already exploring quantum machine learning, where algorithms take advantage of qubits to analyze complex patterns more efficiently. While this field is still in its early stages, I believe that quantum-enhanced AI could eventually make decisions faster, simulate systems more accurately, and even improve itself through adaptive feedback loops. In my work, I’ve used AI to automate report generation, streamline training materials, and scaffold the design of digital platforms. As quantum computing becomes more accessible, I imagine a future where AI uses quantum methods behind the scenes—perhaps enabling instant language translation, real-time forecasting, or even simulating the effects of design decisions before they’re implemented.

Technology as a Social Equalizer

Ultimately, my passion is for using technology to improve lives. I believe access to advanced tools, whether it’s a no-code website builder, an AI assistant, or a quantum-powered database, shouldn’t be limited to the privileged few. In a related blog written about digital placemaking (Web Design as an Act of Digital Placemaking), I assert the idea that online spaces are just as important as physical ones when it comes to building community.

Your website is more than just a portfolio — it’s a place. A digital community isn’t just a Slack channel — it’s a home for collaboration. And in a world where placemaking increasingly happens online, it's our job as technologists and designers to ensure that these spaces are accessible, inclusive, and empowering. That’s why I teach others how to use AI tools, offer free workshops, and write tutorials that demystify what can feel like a black box. Whether designing a website for a small business owner or consulting on process automation, I start from a place of empathy and curiosity. What do people need? What barriers can we remove? How can we use tech to serve — not dominate — our lives?

Looking Ahead

In the coming decade, we’ll likely see AI agents that can design entire workflows, quantum networks that keep our data secure, and new interfaces that blur the line between physical and digital. But we’ll also need guides — people who can make the complex comprehensible, who understand both theory and application. That’s where I see my role. I’m not just fascinated by wave particles or white holes (the hypothetical opposites of black holes). I’m fascinated by what these mysteries represent: the unexplored possibilities of the universe and, by extension, human potential.

The future will be built by those who can connect dots across disciplines and who never stop asking, "How can we make the world better for everyone?"

Written by Sabrina Whittaker, Digital Product Support Expert, Web Designer, and Advocate for Ethical Tech.