Should Data Scientists Care About Quantum Computing?

Short answer: only a little.

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I am sure the quantum hype has reached every person in tech (and outside it, most probably). With some over-the-top claims, like “some company has proved quantum supremacy,” “the quantum revolution is here,” or my favorite, “quantum computers are here, and it will make classical computers obsolete.” I am going to be honest with you; most of these claims are intended as a marketing exaggeration, but I am entirely certain that many people believe that they are true.

The issue here is not whether or not these claims are accurate, but, as ML and AI professionals who need to keep up with what’s happening in the tech field, should you, if at all, care about quantum computing?

Because I am an engineer first before a quantum computing researcher, I thought to write this article to give everyone in data science an estimate of how much they should really care about quantum computing.

Now, I understand that some ML and AI professionals are quantum enthusiasts and would like to learn more about quantum, regardless of whether or not they will use it in their daily job roles. At the same time, others are just curious about the field and want to be able to distinguish the actual progress from the hype. My intention in writing this article is to…