Ethics of quantum innovations

Strongly interdisciplinary, the TIQuA project brings together quantum physicists and computer scientists, theoretical and practical philosophers, lawyers and innovation management specialists. Work package (WP) n°1 is entitled "Humanities for Quantum" and articulates in particular the contributions of theoretical and practical philosophy. Task 1, in which this project is included, concerns practical philosophy and in order to conceive the ethics of quantum technologies, it is understood by reference to the distinction between progress and innovation.

Since the Second World War, the concept of progress has been replaced by that of innovation (Godin, 2015; Ménissier, 2021, 2022), and technology is no longer necessarily considered as 'good' (Bonneuil & Joly, 2013; Bonneuil & Pestre, 2015). This opens the way for considerable philosophical work on the role played by the 'watchword' of innovation (Bontems, 2014), as well as on how technological developments can, beyond their societal acceptance, fall under the heading of responsible innovation (Von Schomberg & Blok, 2021; Bourban & Rochel, 2021).

It’s in such a context that the emergence of the quantum computer is presented as a paradigm shift, which requires reformulating these essential questions in a new context.  In particular, what does the deepening of data production and circulation imply in terms of the evolution of innovation ecosystems for AI, digital and data actors? Beyond quantum computing, what geopolitical reconfigurations (in the balance of power, economic relations, but also new forms of cooperation) are conceivable - and no doubt already partly observable due to the pre-positioning of actors - during the rise of these technologies? For example, what are the consequences of the emergence of quantum cryptography on national sovereignty, on data security at the level of nations and companies, and on privacy at the level of individuals? What new humanities, pedagogically, artistically and culturally, can emerge from this development (Reck Miranda, 2022)? What ethics should be advocated for the new technical systems, in a situation of radical innovation, between "promises and perils" (Johnson, 2022)? How can imagination be mobilised to contribute to the inventive design of new frameworks for human and social activity? Finally, and this is one of the most important points, what frameworks and principles for the development of truly sustainable quantum technologies, backed by the already considerable development of various environmental ethics?

References :

• Bonneuil, C., Joly P.-B., (2013), Sciences, techniques et société, Paris : Editions de La Découverte.
• Bonneuil, C., Pestre, D., dir. (2015), Histoire des sciences et des savoirs. Vol. 3, Le siècle des technosciences (depuis 1914), Paris : Editions du Seuil.
• Bontems, V. (2014), What does Innovation stand for? Review of a watchword in research policies. Journal of Innovation Economics & Management, 15, 39-57. https://doi.org/10.3917/jie.015.0039
• Bourban, M., Rochel, J. (2021), Synergies in Innovation : Lessons Learnt from Innovation Ethics for Responsible Innovation. Philos. Technol., 34, 373-394. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13347-020-00392-w.
• Godin, B. (2015), Innovation contested: The idea of innovation over the centuries, New York: Routledge.
• Johnson, D.G. (2022), « Emerging technology as promise and peril » in Vallor, S., ed., The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Technology, Oxford : Oxford University Press, 647-661.

• Ménissier, T. (2022), « Innovation, from consumption to reinvention of socialization », Philos. Technol., 35, 66. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13347-022-00563-x
• Ménissier, T. (2021), Innovations. Une enquête philosophique, Paris : Editions Hermann, 2021.
• Reck Miranda, E., ed. (2022), Quantum Computing in the Arts and Humanities. An Introduction to Core Concepts, Theory and Applications, Cham : Springer.
• Von Schomberg, L., Blok, V. (2021). Technology in the Age of Innovation: Responsible Innovation as a New Subdomain Within the Philosophy of Technology. Philos. Technol. 34, 309-323. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13347-019-00386-3

Missions / duties performed:

The postdoctoral fellowship offered in the competition is intended to:

- To contribute to the advancement of scientific knowledge in the field of ethics for quantum technologies in practical philosophy and political theory, notably through new conceptual and normative approaches, which can be anchored in fields of study.

- To maintain the dialogue between philosophy and the scientific and technical disciplines developed within the TIQuA programme (theoretical and experimental physics, computer science).

- To feed the IPhiG's axis 1 while possibly dialoguing with the two other axes.

Main activities (in order of importance):

1.       Publication in academic journals, especially in English.

2.       Contribution to the scientific animation of TIQuA: organisation and intervention for conferences, seminars.

3.       Setting up scientific projects (ANR, European programmes, etc.).

4.       Contribution to the influence of the TIQuA programme.

The Institute of Philosophy of Grenoble (IPhiG) is one of the research units of the University Grenoble Alpes (UGA). It is composed of 11 statutory members, from various components of the UGA, more than 20 PhD students, several post-doctoral students. It is a member of the regional doctoral school of philosophy ED 487 "Philosophy: history, representation, creation". Its activities are organised along three axes: "Practices: values, norms, institutions", "Mind and cognition" & "History of philosophy". Prof. Thierry Ménissier, scientific leader of the TIQuA project, and also responsible for task n°1 (entitled "Quantum ethics & responsible innovation") of WP n°1 ("Humanities for Quantum") to which this post-doctoral contract is attached, is a member of this team.

The project TIQuA: Tools for Interdisciplinarity in QuantAlps is one of the winners of the call Cross  Disciplinary Tools 2022 projects, proposed by Grenoble Alpes University as part of the University Grenoble Alpes: University of Innovation Excellence Initiative. It aims, over a three-year period (2022-2025), to complete the angles of view on quantum, to deepen and diversify the subjects dealt with in the framework of the Grenoble quantum federation, QuantAlps. The themes addressed concern the dialogue between fundamental quantum research and its possible technological and social expressions, with an emphasis on innovation on the one hand and ethical approaches on the other. One of the challenges of the project also concerns the definition and implementation of sustainable forms of quantum. Since fundamental research in quantum science is today accompanied by the promise of scientific discoveries and technological innovations likely to revolutionise certain sectors of human activity and society, and since there is much talk of the "quantum revolution", TIQuA aims to accompany these major transformations in a critical way, in particular by granting a place to philosophy in order to reflect on their epistemological conditions on the one hand, and on their ethical and political issues on the other.

Team description

The post-doctoral contract is directly linked to the activity of the scientific leader of the project, Prof. Thierry Ménissier, who is also responsible for task n°1 (entitled "Quantum ethics & responsible innovation") of WP n°1 ("Humanities for Quantum").

Scientific disciplines: philosophy (17^th section French CNU), political science (4^th section),.

Sub-disciplines/research areas (in no order of priority): political philosophy, philosophy of technology, ethics of AI and robotics, fundamental rights, theories of democracy, theories of justice, digital and environmental humanities.

Keywords: ethics, AI, robotics, digital, institutions and organizations, innovation, autonomy, trust, public and private liberties, powers, democracy, human rights, justice, transitions.