Mauritz Kop Consults U.S. Department of State on Quantum Technology and Foreign Policy Strategy
Washington D.C. – On December 12, 2024, Mauritz Kop, Founding Director of the Stanford Center for Responsible Quantum Technology (RQT) and the Stanford Quantum Incubator, was invited to consult with the U.S. Department of State on the pressing challenges and strategic opportunities presented by the quantum era. The analytic outreach event, hosted by the Bureau of Intelligence and Research’s Office of Analytic Outreach (INR/AO), provided a critical forum to discuss the integration of quantum technology considerations into U.S. foreign policy and national security strategy.
This engagement highlights the growing recognition within the U.S. government that understanding quantum technology is no longer the exclusive domain of physicists and engineers, but a crucial imperative for diplomats, intelligence analysts, and foreign policy architects.
Informing Diplomacy with Strategic Insight
The U.S. Department of State is the nation’s lead foreign affairs agency, responsible for advancing the interests and security of the American people. Within the Department, the Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) holds a unique mandate to provide independent, all-source intelligence and analysis to the Secretary of State and other senior policymakers. INR’s primary mission is to deliver timely, objective, and insightful assessments that inform decision-making on the full spectrum of diplomatic and foreign policy challenges. It is within this context of providing deep, substantive expertise that the Office of Analytic Outreach convenes leading external experts like Mauritz Kop to engage directly with government analysts and officials.
A Bird's-Eye View of Quantum's Strategic Landscape
While the specific details of the consultation remain confidential, the discussion drew upon Mr. Kop’s extensive research on quantum governance, which offers a strategic framework for policymakers. His analysis emphasizes several key themes crucial for navigating the complexities of the quantum age.
A central theme is the inherently dual-use character of quantum technology. This paradigm holds both immense promise and profound risk. On one hand, quantum advancements are poised to revolutionize sectors vital to human progress; quantum sensors could dramatically improve medical imaging and seismic prediction, while quantum simulation could enhance drug discovery and macroeconomic modeling. On the other hand, this same power presents formidable threats. The advent of a fault-tolerant quantum computer, or "Q-Day," could catastrophically break the classical encryption that underpins global finance, data security, and critical infrastructure, with a potential timeframe of just two to three years.
Given this duality, Kop’s work advocates for a robust framework of Responsible Quantum Technology (RQT) governance. This approach seeks to prevent the missteps seen in the development of other transformative technologies like AI, nuclear, genetics and the internet, such as the rise of systemic bias and the erosion of democratic norms. It calls for a sophisticated balancing act between mitigating risks and maximizing benefits, urging a move away from blunt regulatory instruments like sweeping export controls (beyond the Wassenaar’s harmozed dual-use controls) that can stifle innovation and obstruct fragile global supply chains. Instead, it promotes a combination of international standards, soft-law mechanisms like quantum impact assessments, and pro-innovation compliance measures to guide the quantum ecosystem responsibly.
This governance model is set against a backdrop of intense geopolitical competition. Kop’s research posits the risk of a "Quantum Event Horizon"—a governance tipping point at which one technological bloc could achieve quantum supremacy and with that the keys to the world’s operating system, creating an irreversible, "winner-takes-all" advantage that could destabilize the global order. This makes it a strategic imperative for the United States and its allies to lead in building a "globally leading, values-laden Made in America quantum ecosystem."
The INR delivers and coordinates timely, objective intelligence that advances U.S. diplomacy.
Embedding Democratic Values into the Quantum Future
A core pillar of the responsible governance framework presented is the imperative to embed democratic values and human rights principles into the very architecture of quantum systems. Technology is never neutral; it inherently carries the values of its creators. Therefore, the U.S. and its like-minded partners have a generational opportunity to set the "rules of the road" for quantum technology through international standard-setting that prioritizes privacy, fairness, and fundamental freedoms. This involves fostering diverse, interdisciplinary research and development teams to combat inherent biases and ensure outcomes align with the principles of a free society.
The consultation also touched upon the strategic necessity of international dialogue and talent acquisition. To avoid a "splinternet" of incompatible quantum ecosystems, proactive collaboration on interoperability standards is essential. Furthermore, winning the global quantum race requires a strategic approach to human capital. It was emphasized that the U.S. should actively recruit top-tier quantum and AI talent from around the world, implementing streamlined immigration policies to build the expert workforce needed to secure America’s quantum future.
Stanford RQT and the Department of State’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research
The engagement with the Department of State’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research represents a vital step in bridging the gap between the academic frontier of quantum research and the pragmatic realities of foreign policy. The work of the Stanford Center for Responsible Quantum Technology remains committed to fostering these essential conversations, ensuring that as humanity prepares to take its next great technological leap, it does so with foresight, responsibility, and a steadfast commitment to democratic values.