Quantum Computing Forecast to Improve AI Systems Within Five Years

(WSJ) Experts and business leaders forecast that quantum computing’s processing power could significantly improve artificial-intelligence systems within about five years.
Peter Chapman, chief executive of quantum-computing startup IonQ Inc., who until recently was director of engineering for Amazon Prime,says a quantum computer could soon develop AI-based digital assistants with true contextual awareness and the ability to fully understand interactions with customers. “Today, people are frustrated when a digital assistant says, ‘Sorry, I couldn’t understand that'”.
Quantum-computing power could also help combine knowledge across multiple disciplines into one single AI system. A digital assistant with expertise in physics, chemistry and material science could help solve problems impossible for humans with one area of expertise.
Julie Love, director of quantum business development at Microsoft Corp., says quantum computing’s potential impact on AI models is “a real selling point” for business customers.
AI and quantum computing will work hand in hand in the future, said Arvind Krishna, senior vice president of cloud and cognitive software at International Business Machines Corp.