Mauritz Kop Principal Investigator of MINDS Quantum Strategy Grant at CIGI

Waterloo, February 18, 2026—The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) has awarded Mauritz Kop a new leadership role as Principal Investigator of a MINDS Targeted Engagement Grant on Quantum Strategy. The grant advances a central proposition of his recent work: quantum technologies are no longer best understood as a narrow scientific frontier or a conventional innovation file. They have become a strategic domain in which law, industrial policy, intellectual property, defense planning, and geopolitical competition now converge.

That convergence matters because quantum capability is being built in an era of systemic rivalry, supply-chain vulnerability, and technological coercion. In that environment, democratic states cannot afford to treat quantum merely as a research ecosystem problem. They must govern it as part of a broader strategy for safeguarding the democratic industrial commons: the shared base of talent, infrastructure, know-how, trusted supply chains, standards, and institutions on which long-run security, prosperity, and coalition advantage depend.

What MINDS in Defence and Security Is and Why This Grant Fits

The MINDS program—Mobilizing Insights in Defence and Security—is a Canadian Department of National Defence initiative designed to strengthen evidence-based defense policy thinking and foster the next generation of defense and security experts. Its Targeted Engagement Grants provide non-recurring support for projects such as workshops, roundtables, research, and publications, and they are assessed primarily against the annual Defence Policy Challenges.

The current 2025-26 MINDS challenge set is especially well aligned with the subject matter of this grant. The official challenge framework emphasizes several critical priorities: securing Canada’s sovereignty and continental defense posture; attracting advanced-technology talent across the defense sector; and strengthening the defense industrial base through resilient supply chains and dual-use technologies such as quantum and artificial intelligence. Furthermore, the framework addresses the pressures of strategic competition—including adversarial exploitation of vulnerabilities—and the accelerating adoption of pan-domain, emerging technologies where interoperability, trust, and responsible governance must be preserved.

Strategic Leadership and Human Capital

Kop’s fellowship at CIGI has centered on the governance of transformative technologies, especially quantum technology, AI, dual-use export controls, national security, and intellectual property. The new grant builds directly on that portfolio, but with a more operational mandate. As Principal Investigator, his role is to provide the project’s strategic and intellectual leadership: conceptualizing the workshop, defining the central themes and policy questions, structuring the panels for direct relevance to Canadian defense audiences, chairing the main event, moderating key expert sessions, identifying high-level contributors, and guiding the project’s analytical outputs.

The Quantum Nexus Paper Behind the Grant

The grant builds on Kop’s recent paper, The Nexus of Quantum Technology, Intellectual Property, and National Security: An LSI Test for Securing the Quantum Industrial Commons, now available on arXiv.

In that paper, he argues that quantum technologies have moved from laboratory structures to the geopolitical stage, and that democratic states therefore need a governance model that is neither naively open nor reflexively protectionist. The paper's contribution is an implementable coalition playbook, offering empirically anchored criteria, templates, and differentiated guardrails - including red zone domains where denial is the default - to avoid both over-securitization and under-securitization. Properly applied, LSI reduces the risk of a self-defeating hard decoupling from China while establishing standards-first interoperability as a stabilizing eigenstate of the international order and enabling RQT by design to shape trusted adoption pathways beyond the coalition, including in the majority world.

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Mauritz Kop Consults UNESCO and OECD on Ethics and Quantum Technology Policy

Paris, January 9, 2025— As quantum technologies advance at a rapid pace, global institutions are turning to leading experts to help shape the ethical and policy frameworks that will govern this transformative era. Mauritz Kop, a prominent scholar in the field of quantum law and governance Founding Director of the Stanford Center for Responsible Quantum Technology, has been actively consulting with two of the world's foremost international bodies: the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). His contributions are helping to build a global consensus on the responsible development and deployment of quantum technologies.

Expert Opinions for UNESCO and its World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology (COMEST)

UNESCO, through its World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology (COMEST), is at the forefront of establishing global ethical norms for emerging technologies. COMEST is an advisory body composed of leading international scholars tasked with formulating ethical principles to guide decision-makers beyond purely economic considerations.

Recognizing his expertise, COMEST invited Mauritz Kop to an exclusive Expert Hearing on May 13, 2024. This session was convened to gather insights for the Commission's forthcoming landmark report on the "Ethics of the Research, Development and Deployment of Quantum Computing Technologies." Together with three other experts who each presented different perspectives, Kop was asked to present his research on Responsible Quantum Technology, quantum-ELSPI (Ethical, Legal, Societal, and Policy Implications), and bespoke governance frameworks for Quantum Information Science (QIS). His scholarship - often co-authored with RQT Fellows such as Mateo Aboy, Eline de Jong, Mark Brongersma, and Raymond Laflamme, provides the Commission with state-of-the-art analysis of the ethical and governance challenges, helping to enrich the foundation of their upcoming report.

Stanford Law’s Mauritz Kop Provides Recommendations on UNESCO Preliminary Draft: 'Ethics of Quantum Computing'

Following the request to participate in the expert hearing, Stanford Law’s Mauritz Kop was formally invited to provide written recommendations on the "Preliminary Draft Report on the Ethics of Quantum Computing" on January 9, 2025. This invitation underscores the value of his contributions to the Commission's work. While the draft itself remains confidential, its direction can be understood through its public predecessor, the "Concept note of the World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology (COMEST) on the ethics of quantum computing," published on July 24, 2024.

The concept note lays out a comprehensive vision for the ethical governance of quantum computing. It correctly asserts that while quantum technology is still in its early stages, the time to establish ethical guardrails is now, learning from the reactive approach taken with other technologies like social media. The note emphasizes that quantum technology is not neutral; its development and use have profound social and political impacts.

Mauritz Kop Invited by OECD to Speak on Global Policy and National Strategies for Responsible Quantum Technology Development

In addition to his work with UNESCO, Mauritz Kop was invited by the OECD to contribute his expertise to its Global Forum on Technology (GFTech) event, "Future in flux? Global policy issues and national strategies for responsible quantum technology development," held in November 2023. The event was originally scheduled to take place in Tel Aviv, Israel, but was moved to a virtual format due to regional unrest.

Looking Ahead: The International Year of Quantum Science and Technology 2025

The work of UNESCO and the OECD is particularly timely, as the United Nations has officially declared 2025 the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ 2025). This global initiative, led by UNESCO, marks the 100th anniversary of the development of modern quantum mechanics and aims to raise global awareness of the importance of quantum science and its applications.

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Mauritz Kop and Mark Lemley Host Canadian Quantum Governance Delegation at Stanford RQT to Inform its G7 Presidency

Stanford, CA, May 8, 2024—Today, the Stanford Center for Responsible Quantum Technology (RQT) had the privilege of hosting a distinguished Canadian delegation for a critical dialogue on the future of quantum governance. The meeting, held at Stanford Law School, was a pivotal moment for shaping the international policy landscape for these transformative technologies. Professor Mark Lemley and Executive Director Mauritz Kop were honored to welcome senior officials from Global Affairs Canada, the nation’s foreign ministry, for a conversation designed to inform Canada’s quantum policy development efforts ahead of its G7 Presidency in 2025.

A Convergence of Expertise in Law, Technology, and Diplomacy

The success of such a dialogue hinges on the diverse expertise of its participants. On behalf of the Stanford Center for Responsible Quantum Technology, its Founding Director Mauritz Kop was pleased to co-host the session. Professor Kop’s work, which focuses on the ethical, legal, social, and policy implications (ELSPI) of quantum technologies, AI, and cybersecurity, has included serving as a member of the Expert Panel on the Responsible Adoption of Quantum Technologies for the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA). This role provided a direct link to the foundational research shaping Canada's domestic and international quantum strategy.

Kop was joined by his esteemed colleague, Mark Lemley, the William H. Neukom Professor of Law at Stanford Law School and the Director of the Stanford Program in Law, Science, and Technology. As one of the world's preeminent scholars in intellectual property and technology law, Professor Lemley’s insights into innovation, competition, and the legal structures that govern emerging technologies were indispensable to our discussions on incubating startups and navigating the complex IP landscape of the quantum sector.

A Foundation in Evidence: The Council of Canadian Academies' Quantum Potential Report

Our discussions at Stanford did not occur in a vacuum. They were built upon a solid foundation of evidence-based analysis, most notably the 2023 Quantum Potential report from the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA). As a member of the expert panel that authored this report, chaired by the esteemed Professor Raymond Laflamme of the University of Waterloo, Professor Kop was able to directly infuse its findings into our dialogue.

The CCA’s Quantum Potential report was commissioned by the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) to assess the opportunities and challenges of quantum adoption in Canada. The report provided a clear-eyed assessment, warning that while the potential is transformative, significant scientific and engineering obstacles remain. It highlighted critical national security risks, particularly the potential for a fault-tolerant quantum computer to "undermine the digital infrastructure that underpins key areas of everyday life" and "jeopardize data privacy and security".

Crucially, the report championed a proactive and responsible approach to governance, framed through the lens of "Quantum ELSPI"—the ethical, legal, social, and policy implications of the technology.

The Culmination: The G7 Kananaskis Common Vision on Quantum

The journey from academic analysis and focused diplomatic engagement to international consensus reached its apex on June 17, 2025. Drawing upon the preparatory work from the CCA, the insights from our meeting at Stanford, and extensive multilateral consultations, the Government of Canada, during its G7 Presidency, unveiled the Kananaskis Common Vision for the Future of Quantum Technologies.

This declaration represents a landmark achievement in global technology governance and directly reflects the principles and priorities discussed at our Center. The document acknowledges both the "transformative benefits" of quantum technologies and their "far-reaching implications for national and international security". Echoing the core themes of our dialogue and scholarship, the G7 leaders committed to a set of shared principles that build directly on the work of the RQT community and the CCA report.

G7 Joint Working Group on Quantum Technologies

The meeting with the Canadian delegation at the Stanford Center for Responsible Quantum Technology was a profound demonstration of how academia can effectively inform and shape public policy on a global scale. It showcased a direct pathway from flagship scholarship like the “Ten principles for Responsible Quantum Innovation” and foundational reports like the CCA's Quantum Potential, through focused expert dialogues, to the codification of international norms in a G7 leaders' declaration. We are proud to have played a role in this vital process and look forward to continued collaboration with our Canadian partners and the new G7 Joint Working Group on Quantum Technologies to build a future where quantum technology unfolds responsibly, securely, and for the benefit of all humanity.

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IOP Quantum Science and Technology publishes Ten Principles for Responsible Quantum Innovation

Stanford, April 22, 2024—The leading peer-reviewed journal Quantum Science and Technology has published the open-access article, "Ten Principles for Responsible Quantum Innovation," a significant paper that offers actionable guidance for the ethical development of quantum technologies. The publication is the result of a two-year, deeply interdisciplinary study by a transatlantic group of leading scholars and represents a major step forward in operationalizing a framework for responsible quantum innovation.

This work builds upon the foundational research of the group, including the "Towards Responsible Quantum Technology" paper published by the Harvard Berkman Klein Center, and will be central to the mission of the Stanford Center for Responsible Quantum Technology.

A Global, Interdisciplinary Collaboration

The paper is a testament to the power of global, interdisciplinary collaboration. Authored by a spectacular team of leading lights in law, philosophy & ethics, socioeconomics, data science, quantum physics, materials science & engineering, and innovation policy, the study brings together a wealth of expertise from the world's most prestigious academic institutions.

The author group, led by Mauritz Kop of Stanford University, includes Mateo Aboy (University of Cambridge), Eline De Jong (University of Amsterdam), Urs Gasser (Technical University of Munich), Timo Minssen (University of Copenhagen), I. Glenn Cohen (Harvard University), Mark Brongersma (Stanford University), Teresa Quintel (Maastricht University), Luciano Floridi (University of Oxford and Yale University), and Raymond Laflamme (University of Waterloo). This formidable team provides a holistic and robust foundation for the quantum governance principles outlined in the paper.

A Framework for Responsible Quantum Innovation

The paper's central contribution is a set of ten guiding principles designed to operationalize a framework for Responsible Quantum Technology (RQT). This framework seeks to integrate considerations of the Ethical, Legal, Social, and Policy Implications (ELSPI) of quantum technologies directly into the research and development lifecycle, while also responding to the core dimensions of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI): anticipation, inclusion, reflection, and responsiveness.

The principles are organized into three functional categories, termed the SEA framework, which provides a methodological guide for the quantum community:

Safeguarding: This pillar focuses on the proactive identification and mitigation of risks associated with quantum technologies.
Engaging: This principle emphasizes the critical need for inclusive and continuous dialogue among all stakeholders, from researchers and industry to policymakers and the public.
Advancing: This pillar is dedicated to ensuring that quantum technology is actively steered towards desirable societal outcomes and contributes to addressing the world's most pressing challenges.

The Ten Principles for Responsible Quantum Innovation

The Ten Principles paper proposes the following ten actionable principles to help address the risks, challenges, and opportunities associated with the entire suite of second-generation quantum technologies:

Information Security: Make information security an integral part of QT, proactively addressing security threats, including the risk quantum computers pose to current encryption standards.
Dual Use: Proactively anticipate the malicious use of quantum applications by addressing the risks of dual-use technologies that can be employed for both beneficial and harmful purposes.
Quantum Race: Seek international collaboration based on shared values to address the winner-takes-all dynamics of a potential quantum arms race.
Quantum Gap: Consider our planet as the sociotechnical environment in which QT should function, engaging states to ensure equitable access and prevent a "quantum divide."
Intellectual Property: Incentivize innovation while being as open as possible and as closed as necessary, engaging institutions to find the right balance between protecting intellectual property and fostering an open research environment.
Inclusion: Pursue diverse R&D communities in terms of disciplines and people, engaging a wide range of voices to ensure a holistic approach to innovation.
Societal Relevance: Link quantum R&D explicitly to desirable societal goals, advancing society by focusing on applications that address pressing needs.
Complementary Innovation: Actively stimulate sustainable, cross-disciplinary innovation, advancing technology by exploring synergies with other fields like AI and biotechnology.
Responsibility: Create an ecosystem to learn about the possible uses and consequences of QT applications, advancing our understanding of Responsible QT through continuous feedback and assessment.
Education and Dialogue: Facilitate dialogues with stakeholders to better envision possible quantum futures, advancing our collective thinking and education about QT and its impact.

A Catalyst for a Values-Based Quantum Future

The overarching objective of this interdisciplinary effort is to steer the development and use of quantum technology in a direction that is not only consistent with a values-based society but also actively contributes to solving its most significant challenges. The "Ten Principles for Responsible Quantum Innovation" provides a crucial foundation for this work.

The paper is a call to action for the entire quantum community—researchers, industry leaders, policymakers, and the public—to engage in the vital work of building a responsible quantum ecosystem. As the authors conclude, the goal is to develop and operationalize these guiding principles into the best practices and real-world applications that will define the quantum future. The annual Stanford RQT Conference, among other initiatives, will continue to provide a forum for these critical, interdisciplinary discussions.

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Nature Physics publishes A Call for Responsible Quantum Technology by Urs Gasser, Eline De Jong and Mauritz Kop

The leading journal Nature Physics has published "A Call for Responsible Quantum Technology," a significant Comment piece authored by a transatlantic team of scholars: Urs Gasser, Eline De Jong, and Mauritz Kop. Published on April 9, 2024, the article serves as a manifesto of the Stanford Center for Responsible Quantum Technology (RQT). It presents a compelling argument for proactively establishing ethical and societal guardrails for quantum technology (QT) while the field is still in its formative stages.

Citation: Gasser, U., De Jong, E. & Kop, M. A call for responsible quantum technology. Nat. Phys. 20, 525–527 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-024-02462-8

This foundational work builds upon the Stanford Center for RQT's prior scholarship, including the foundational paper "Towards Responsible Quantum Technology" published at Harvard and the University of California, and the "10 Principles for Responsible Quantum Innovation" published at IOP Science & Technology. All three authors are members of the Stanford RQT Center, which is founded and directed by Kop, who also served as the senior and corresponding author on the Nature publication. The article crystallizes the Center's crucial mission: to guide the development of quantum technologies in a direction that is safe, ethical, and beneficial for humanity and the planet.

Watch Urs Gasser and Eline De Jong present their Nature publication at the Stanford Responsible Quantum Technology Conference here: https://youtu.be/2vA9fID-7SA?si=MV67C9jN34UlsmuW&t=1279

The Core Argument: A Proactive Stance on Quantum Governance

The central thesis of "A Call for Responsible Quantum Technology" is both clear and urgent: the time to consider and implement governance frameworks for QT is now. The authors draw a crucial lesson from the history of other powerful innovations, such as nuclear fission and artificial intelligence (AI), where ethical, legal, and social considerations were often addressed reactively, "once the genie is already out of the bottle." Given the potentially transformative and disruptive power of quantum, the article argues that repeating this mistake is not an option.

A Framework for Responsible Quantum Innovation

To navigate this complex landscape, the authors propose a comprehensive framework for Responsible Quantum Technology. This is not a call for premature, heavy-handed legislation but for a systematic approach to anticipate and manage the ethical, legal, social, and policy implications (ELSPI) throughout the entire QT lifecycle.

The framework is designed to be operationalized through a set of quantum-specific guiding principles, which the authors organize into three functional categories, known as the SEA principles:

Safeguarding: Principles focused on mitigating downside risks, requiring that issues like information security and malicious dual-use scenarios are considered from the outset of research and development.
Engaging: Principles designed to foster robust interaction between innovators and diverse stakeholders to address complex issues like intellectual property, market competition, and equitable access.
Advancing: Principles that prioritize and incentivize the development of QT applications that serve desirable societal goals and the common good.

This layered approach, spanning technical, ethical, and socio-legal considerations, provides a navigational aid for researchers, funders, policymakers, and industry leaders, offering both an "issue spotter" to identify potential challenges and a "compass" to guide the technology's trajectory.

The Authors of the Nature Publication on Responsible Quantum Technology

The Nature article is a product of deep interdisciplinary expertise, authored by three leading figures at the Stanford Center for Responsible Quantum Technology:

Urs Gasser is a distinguished Professor at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), where he is Dean of the TUM School of Social Sciences and Technology. A Fellow at the Stanford RQT Center, he was previously the Executive Director of the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University. His research focuses on the societal and regulatory implications of emerging technologies, bringing a wealth of experience in technology law and policy.

Eline De Jong is a Dutch philosopher and ethicist serving as a Fellow at the Stanford RQT Center. She is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Amsterdam, specializing in the philosophy and ethics of quantum technology. Her background includes advising the Netherlands Scientific Council for Government Policy on the societal impact of AI, providing a deep understanding of the co-evolution of technology and society.

Mauritz Kop, the Founding Director of the Stanford RQT Center and the article's senior and corresponding author, is a tech lawyer, policy advisor, and academic whose work focuses on creating sui generis governance frameworks for exponential technologies like AI and quantum. His scholarship, published by leading institutions globally, aims to integrate risk management, regulatory compliance, and safety standards directly into the innovation process.

This collaboration between legal, policy, and ethics scholars underscores the article's central message: ensuring a responsible quantum future requires a concerted, interdisciplinary, and international effort. As the manifesto for the Stanford Center for RQT, Nature’s "A Call for Responsible Quantum Technology" is a foundational text, setting a clear and principled agenda for the global quantum community.

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Mauritz Kop Reviews Der Derian’s Project Q: War, Peace and Quantum Mechanics

Stanford University, April 1, 2024—In an era defined by rapid technological acceleration, the quantum revolution looms as perhaps the most profound and least understood transformation on the horizon. It is a domain where the esoteric principles of physics—superposition, entanglement, and uncertainty—are migrating from theoretical blackboards to the geopolitical chessboard. It is this critical, and often unsettling, intersection of science, society, and security that James Der Derian’s consequential new documentary, Project Q: War, Peace and Quantum Mechanics, masterfully explores. Having been graciously invited by the film’s producers at Bullfrog Films to review this important work as the Founding Director of the Stanford Center for Responsible Quantum Technology, Mauritz Kop found it to be an essential primer for what may well be the defining technological challenge of the 21st century.

The film serves as a crucial vehicle for fostering what Mauritz Kop calls ‘quantum literacy’—a foundational understanding of not just the science, but the societal, ethical, and political ramifications of quantum technologies, and their inherent dual-use nature. Der Derian, a distinguished scholar of international relations and director of the Centre for International Security Studies at the University of Sydney, is uniquely positioned to guide this inquiry. He eschews a purely technical exposition, instead weaving a narrative that brings together a diverse chorus of voices: leading physicists, philosophers, national security experts, artists, and historians. This multidisciplinary approach is the film’s greatest strength, transforming a subject that could easily be arcane and inaccessible into a deeply human and urgent conversation.

A Summary of the Film: The Quantum Conundrum

Project Q dives headfirst into the rapidly advancing world of quantum science, highlighting the massive investments by governments, corporations, and universities while probing the unanswered questions about humankind's quantum future. The documentary skillfully unpacks the foundational elements of quantum mechanics for a lay audience. It introduces concepts like complementarity, Niels Bohr’s principle that objects can exhibit contradictory properties, such as being both a wave and a particle, but not simultaneously. It visualizes superposition through the famous Schrödinger's cat analogy, where a particle—or a cat in a box—can exist in multiple states at once until the moment it is observed.

Project Q in Sydney: A Conclave for the Quantum Age

The documentary is inextricably linked to the real-world initiative from which it takes its name. Project Q, based at the University of Sydney, is an ambitious undertaking to bridge the gap between the scientists building the quantum future and the humanists, policymakers, and public who will inhabit it. A ‘quantum risk lab’'. The project’s home is the Q Station in Sydney, a former quarantine station with a history of isolating and managing existential threats. This setting serves as a poignant backdrop, a physical manifestation of the need to grapple with the potentially world-altering implications of quantum technology before they arrive unchecked.

A Must-Watch Call for Quantum Literacy

Project Q is a documentary of profound importance and timeliness. It is a wake-up call, an invitation to a global conversation that has been largely confined to laboratories and classified government briefings. Der Derian has crafted a film that is both intellectually rigorous and deeply accessible, challenging its audience to think critically about the path we are on. By exploring both the risks and benefits of quantum innovation, the film offers a vital multidisciplinary perspective on how this emerging suite of technologies might reshape global peace, security, and politics.

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Establishing a Legal-Ethical Framework for Quantum Technology

Yale Law School, Yale Journal of Law & Technology (YJoLT) The Record 2021

New peer reviewed cross-disciplinary Stanford University Quantum & Law research article: “Establishing a Legal-Ethical Framework for Quantum Technology”.

By Mauritz Kop

Citation: Kop, Mauritz, Establishing a Legal-Ethical Framework for Quantum Technology (March 2, 2021). Yale J.L. & Tech. The Record 2021, https://yjolt.org/blog/establishing-legal-ethical-framework-quantum-technology

Download the article here: Kop_Legal-Ethical Framework for Quantum Tech-Yale

Please find a short abstract below:

What is quantum technology?

Quantum technology is founded on general principles of quantum mechanics and combines the counterintuitive physics of the very small with engineering. Particles and energy at the smallest scale do not follow the same rules as the objects we can detect around us in our everyday lives. The general principles, or properties, of quantum mechanics are superposition, entanglement, and tunnelling. Quantum mechanics aims to clarify the relationship between matter and energy, and it describes the building blocks of atoms at the subatomic level.

Raising Quantum Awareness

Quantum technologies are rapidly evolving from hypothetical ideas to commercial realities. As the world prepares for these tangible applications, the quantum community issued an urgent call for action to design solutions that can balance their transformational impact. An important first step to encourage the debate is raising quantum awareness. We have to put controls in place that address identified risks and incentivise sustainable innovation.

Connecting AI and Nanotechnology to Quantum

Establishing a culturally sensitive legal-ethical framework for applied quantum technologies can help to accomplish these goals. This framework can be built on existing rules and requirements for AI. We can enrich this framework further by integrating ethical, legal and social issues (ELSI) associated with nanotechnology. In addition, the unique physical characteristics of quantum mechanics demand universal guiding principles of responsible, human-centered quantum technology. To this end, the article proposes ten guiding principles for the development and application of quantum technology.

Risk-based Quantum Technology Impact Assessment Tools

Lastly, how can we monitor and validate that real world quantum tech-driven implementations remain legal, ethical, social and technically robust during their life cycle? Developing concrete tools that address these challenges might be the answer. Raising quantum awareness can be accomplished by discussing a legal-ethical framework and by utilizing risk-based technology impact assessment tools in the form of best practices and moral guides.

Mauritz Kop is a Stanford Law School TTLF Fellow, Founder of MusicaJuridica and strategic intellectual property lawyer at AIRecht, a leading 4th Industrial Revolution technology consultancy firm based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The author is grateful to Mark Brongersma (Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Stanford University), Mark Lemley (Stanford Law School), and Suzan Slijpen (Slijpen Legal) for valuable cross-disciplinary comments on an earlier version of this article. Thank you Ben Rashkovich and the Yale Journal of Law & Technology for excellent suggestions and editorial support. This article benefitted from comments at the World Economic Forum Quantum Computing Ethics Workshop.

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Workshop Juridische Aspecten AI & Data bij TNO - NL AIC Startups & Scaleups TekDelta Event

Op 24 september 2020 gaf Stanford Law School Fellow Mauritz Kop een masterclass over de juridische dimensie van kunstmatige intelligentie en informatie aan de getalenteerde deelnemers van de Werkgroep Startups & Scaleups van de Nederlandse AI Coalitie (NL AIC), in het kantoor van TNO Research in Den Haag. De workshop maakte onderdeel uit van het TekDelta | NL AIC startup accelerator event, met als centraal thema het versnellen en faciliteren van innovatie door het verbinden van startende ondernemingen met bestaande leading organisaties met slagkracht: het samen bouwen aan een succesvol high tech ecosysteem in Nederland.

Masterclass 'Juridische Aspecten van AI & Data’

De 2,5 uur durende masterclass 'Juridische Aspecten van AI & Data' bij TNO verschafte de cursisten duidelijkheid over de regels voor data delen, privacy en gegevensbescherming, alsmede juridisch en economisch eigendom van informatie. We behandelden onderwerpen variërend van de bescherming van intellectueel eigendom op het AI-systeem, de software, hardware en apps, clearance van data tot het anticiperen op de aanstaande AI & Data Governance wetten van de Europese Commissie.

Multidisciplinair Panel voor Verantwoord Data Delen

Dezelfde middag vond er vanuit het TNO gebouw een online seminar plaats speciaal voor startups, onder leiding van Anita Lieverdink, Senior Orchestrator of Innovation at TNO, Directeur van TekDelta en Program Manager van de Werkgroep Startps & Scaleups van de Nederlandse AI Coalitie.

AIRecht managing partner Mr. Kop nam als juridisch expert deel in het panel dat ging over verantwoord data delen. Het was goed om deel te nemen aan dit multidisciplinaire panel en samen met onze collega's oplossingen te verkennen voor het versneld en verantwoord delen van gegevens. Het is cruciaal en urgent om belemmeringen voor de inzet van benevolente AI weg te nemen en organisaties begeleiding te bieden die rechtszekerheid en vertrouwen in de snelle introductie van deze veelbelovende transformatieve technologie aanmoedigt!

Juridische Cursussen van AIRecht

Onze cursussen ‘AI en Recht – Juridische aspecten van AI, Machine Learning en Data’ bieden een compleet overzicht van de juridische facetten van kunstmatige intelligentie, big (structured/labelled en unstructured, raw) data en de verschillende typen machine learning (supervised, unsupervised, deep reinforcement, transfer, federated). De invalshoek is breed: van beschermen idee tot en met marktintroductie van het product. Cursusdoel is het wegnemen van juridische obstakels voor innovatie. Onderwerpen die hierbij aan de orde komen zijn privacywetgeving, het maximaliseren van uw IP-portfolio (intellectueel eigendom), normering, standaardisering (interoperabiliteit) en certificering (CE mark, keurmerken, conformiteit), het stimuleren van internationaal zakendoen, en het realiseren van (training)data delen op basis van EU regelgeving, licenties, toestemmingen en rechtsgeldige contracten. Maatwerk is mogelijk.

De workshops en masterclasses zijn cross-disciplinair en verbinden de ontwikkeling en toepassing van technologie met geldend nationaal en EU recht.

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Artificiële Intelligentie, Auteursrecht, AVG / GDPR, Bedrijfsrecht, Big data, Blockchain, Computer Vision, Data delen, Data processing, Deep Learning, eHealth, Entertainment en Kunst, Ethics, Ethiek, Europees recht, Farmaceutica, Grondrechten, Food Feed Agri, Healthcare, High Tech Industrie, Innovation, Informatierecht, Intellectual Property, Intellectueel Eigendom, Internationaal Zakendoen, Licenties, Machine Learning, Medical Devices, Ondernemingsrecht, Policy, Privacywetgeving, Productontwikkeling, Regulering, Standardization, Wetgeving, Workshops, Cursus, MasterclassMauritz Kop7 februari 2021AIRechtNL AIC, TNO, TekDelta, Startups & Scaleups, Kunstmatige Intelligentie, Juridisch, Workshop, Masterclass, Data delen, Expert panel, Europees recht, AI ecosysteem Nederland, Training Datasets, machine learning, JAVB Bedrijvendesk, AIRecht, Mauritz Kop, Stanford Law School, internationaal zakendoen, AVG, GDPR, Intellectueel Eigendom, Ethiek, Privacy, Trustworthy AI, AI Impact Assessment, Algoritmen, Aansprakelijkheid, Grondrechten, Data altruisme, legal sandboxes, Standaardisering, Certificering, CE Marking, Keurmerk, Conformiteit, Contractenrecht, Arbeidsrecht, Licenties, Cursus AI & Recht

Een Juridisch-Ethisch Kader voor Quantum Technologie

Een bewerkte versie van deze bijdrage is gepubliceerd op platform VerderDenken.nl van het Centrum voor Postacademisch Juridisch Onderwijs (CPO) van de Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen. https://www.ru.nl/cpo/verderdenken/columns/we-nederland-voorbereiden-kwantumtoekomst/

Nederland moet zich voorbereiden op de toepassing van kwantumtechnologie, zegt jurist en Stanford Law School Fellow Mauritz Kop. Op het gebied van regulering, intellectueel eigendom en ethiek is er nog veel werk aan de winkel.

De Quantum Age roept veel juridische vragen op

Het gedrag van de natuur op de kleinste schaal kan vreemd en contra-intuïtief zijn. Hoe kunnen beleidsmakers de toepassingsgebieden van kwantumtechnologie, zoals quantum computing, quantum sensing en het quantum internet op een maatschappelijk verantwoorde manier reguleren? Dienen ethische kwesties een rol te spelen in regulering? De Quantum Age roept veel juridische vragen op.

Hoe kunnen we kwantumtechnologie reguleren?

Regulering van transformatieve technologie is een dynamisch, cyclisch proces dat de levensduur van de technologie en de toepassing volgt. Het vraagt om een flexibel wetgevend systeem dat zich snel kan aanpassen aan veranderende omstandigheden en maatschappelijke behoeften.

De eerste regelgevende stap om te komen tot een bruikbaar juridisch-ethisch kader is het koppelen van de Trustworthy AI-principes aan kwantumtechnologie. Die vullen we vervolgens aan met horizontale, overkoepelende regels die recht doen aan de unieke natuurkundige eigenschappen van quantum. Aan deze horizontale kernregels voegt de wetgever tenslotte verticale, industrie- of sectorspecifieke voorschriften toe. Die verticale voorschriften en gedragscodes zijn risk-based en houden rekening met de uiteenlopende behoeftes van economische sectoren waar het duurzame innovatiestimuli betreft. Zo ontstaat een gedifferentieerde, sectorspecifieke benadering aangaande incentives en risks.

Bewustwording van ethische, juridische en sociale aspecten

Een belangrijk onderdeel van het synchroniseren van onze normen, waarden, standaarden en principes met kwantumtechnologie is het creëren van bewustwording van de ethische, juridische en sociale aspecten ervan. De architectuur van systemen die zijn uitgerust met kwantumtechnologie moet waarden vertegenwoordigen die wij als samenleving belangrijk vinden.

Vooruitlopend op spectaculaire doorbraken in de toepassing van kwantumtechnologie is de tijd nu rijp voor regeringen, onderzoeksinstellingen en de markt om regulatoire en intellectuele eigendomsstrategieën voor te bereiden die passen bij de power van de technologie.

Nederland moet zich voorbereiden op een kwantumtoekomst, want die komt eraan.

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Regulating Transformative Technology in The Quantum Age: Intellectual Property, Standardization & Sustainable Innovation

Stanford - Vienna Transatlantic Technology Law Forum, Transatlantic Antitrust and IPR Developments, Stanford University, Issue No. 2/2020

New Stanford cutting edge tech law research: “Regulating Transformative Technology in The Quantum Age: Intellectual Property, Standardization & Sustainable Innovation”.

Download the article here: Kop_Regulation Standardization Innovation Quantum Age-Stanford Law

Quantum technology has many legal aspects

The behavior of nature at the smallest scale can be strange and counterintuitive. In addition to unique physical characteristics, quantum technology has many legal aspects. In this article, we first explain what quantum technology entails. Next, we discuss implementation and areas of application, including quantum computing, quantum sensing and the quantum internet. Through an interdisciplinary lens, we then focus on intellectual property (IP), standardization, ethical, legal & social aspects (ELSA) as well as horizontal & industry-specific regulation of this transformative technology.

The Quantum Age raises many legal questions

The Quantum Age raises many legal questions. For example, which existing legislation applies to quantum technology? What types of IP rights can be vested in the components of a scalable quantum computer? Are there sufficient market-set innovation incentives for the development and dissemination of quantum software and hardware structures? Or is there a need for open source ecosystems, enrichment of the public domain and even democratization of quantum technology? Should we create global quantum safety, security and interoperability standards and make them mandatory in each area of application? In what way can quantum technology enhance artificial intelligence (AI) that is legal, ethical and technically robust?

Regulating quantum computing, quantum sensing & the quantum internet

How can policy makers realize these objectives and regulate quantum computing, quantum sensing and the quantum internet in a socially responsible manner? Regulation that addresses risks in a proportional manner, whilst optimizing the benefits of this cutting edge technology? Without hindering sustainable innovation, including the apportionment of rights, responsibilities and duties of care? What are the effects of standardization and certification on innovation, intellectual property, competition and market-entrance of quantum-startups?

The article explores possible answers to these tantalizing questions.

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Machine Learning & EU Data Sharing Practices

Stanford - Vienna Transatlantic Technology Law Forum, Transatlantic Antitrust and IPR Developments, Stanford University, Issue No. 1/2020

New multidisciplinary research article: ‘Machine Learning & EU Data Sharing Practices’.

Download the article here: Kop_Machine Learning and EU Data Sharing Practices-Stanford University

In short, the article connects the dots between intellectual property (IP) on data, data ownership and data protection (GDPR and FFD), in an easy to understand manner. It also provides AI and Data policy and regulatory recommendations to the EU legislature.

As we all know, machine learning & data science can help accelerate many aspects of the development of drugs, antibody prophylaxis, serology tests and vaccines.

Supervised machine learning needs annotated training datasets

Data sharing is a prerequisite for a successful Transatlantic AI ecosystem. Hand-labelled, annotated training datasets (corpora) are a sine qua non for supervised machine learning. But what about intellectual property (IP) and data protection?

Data that represent IP subject matter are protected by IP rights. Unlicensed (or uncleared) use of machine learning input data potentially results in an avalanche of copyright (reproduction right) and database right (extraction right) infringements. The article offers three solutions that address the input (training) data copyright clearance problem and create breathing room for AI developers.

The article contends that introducing an absolute data property right or a (neighbouring) data producer right for augmented machine learning training corpora or other classes of data is not opportune.

Legal reform and data-driven economy

In an era of exponential innovation, it is urgent and opportune that both the TSD, the CDSM and the DD shall be reformed by the EU Commission with the data-driven economy in mind.

Freedom of expression and information, public domain, competition law

Implementing a sui generis system of protection for AI-generated Creations & Inventions is -in most industrial sectors- not necessary since machines do not need incentives to create or invent. Where incentives are needed, IP alternatives exist. Autonomously generated non-personal data should fall into the public domain. The article argues that strengthening and articulation of competition law is more opportune than extending IP rights.

Data protection and privacy

More and more datasets consist of both personal and non-personal machine generated data. Both the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Regulation on the free flow of non-personal data (FFD) apply to these ‘mixed datasets’.

Besides the legal dimensions, the article describes the technical dimensions of data in machine learning and federated learning.

Modalities of future AI-regulation

Society should actively shape technology for good. The alternative is that other societies, with different social norms and democratic standards, impose their values on us through the design of their technology. With built-in public values, including Privacy by Design that safeguards data protection, data security and data access rights, the federated learning model is consistent with Human-Centered AI and the European Trustworthy AI paradigm.

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Data delen als voorwaarde voor een succesvol AI-ecosysteem

Trainingsdatasets voor kunstmatige intelligentie: enkele juridische aspecten

Data delen (data sharing) of liever het vermogen om hoge kwaliteit trainingsdatasets te kunnen analyseren om een AI model -zoals een generative adversarial network- te trainen, is een voorwaarde voor een succesvol AI-ecosysteem in Nederland.

In ons turbulente technologische tijdperk nemen fysieke aanknopingspunten als papier of tastbare producten binnen de context van data -of informatie- in belang af. Informatie is niet langer aan een continent, staat of plaats gebonden. Informatietechnologie zoals kunstmatige intelligentie ontwikkelt zich in een dermate hoog tempo, dat de juridische problemen die daaruit voortvloeien in belangrijke mate onvoorspelbaar zijn. Hierdoor ontstaan -kort gezegd- problemen voor tech startups en scaleups.

In dit artikel een serie -mede in onderlinge samenhang te beschouwen aanbevelingen, suggesties en inventieve oplossingen om anno 2020 tot waardevolle nationale en Europese dataketens te komen.

Data donor codicil

Introductie van een Europees (of nationaal) data donor codicil waarmee een patiënt of consument vrijwillig data kan doneren aan de overheid en/of het bedrijfsleven, AVG-proof. Hier kunnen waardeketens worden gecreëerd door de sensor data van medische Internet of Things (IoT) apparaten en smart wearables van overheidswege te accumuleren. Anoniem of met biomarkers.

Data interoperabel en gestandaardiseerd

Unificatie van data uitwisselingsmodellen zodat deze interoperabel en gestandaardiseerd worden in het IoT. Een voorbeeld is een Europees EPD (Elektronisch Patiënten Dossier), i.e een Electronic Healthcare Record (EMR). AI certificering en standaardisatie (zoals ISO, ANSI, IEEE / IEC) dient bij voorkeur niet te worden uitgevoerd door private partijen met commerciële doelstellingen, maar door onafhankelijke openbare instanties (vergelijk het Amerikaanse FDA).

Machine generated (non) personal data

Een andere categorisering die we kunnen maken is enerzijds publieke (in handen van de overheid) machine generated (non) personal data, en private machine generated (non) personal data. Met machine generated data bedoelen we met name informatie en gegevens die continue door edge devices worden gegenereerd in het Internet of Things (IoT). Deze edge devices staan via edge (of fod) nodes (zenders) in verbinding met datacenters die samen met edge servers de cloud vormen. Deze architectuur noemen we ook wel edge computing.

Juridische dimensie

Data, of informatie heeft een groot aantal juridische dimensies. Aan data delen kleven potentieel intellectueel eigendomsrechtelijke (verbodsrecht en vergoedingsrecht), ethische, grondrechtelijke (privacy, vrijheid van meningsuiting), contractenrechtelijke en internationaal handelsrechtelijke aspecten. Juridisch eigendom op data bestaat anno 2020 niet omdat het -vanuit goederenrechtelijk oogpunt- niet als zaak wordt gekwalificeerd. Data heeft wel vermogensrechtelijke aspecten.

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Artificiële Intelligentie, AVG / GDPR, Big data, Blockchain, Cloud Computing, Ethiek, Europees recht, Healthcare, Intellectueel Eigendom, Kunstmatige Intelligentie, Juridisch Advies, Levensmiddelenrecht, Policy, Privacywetgeving, Recht, Tech Startups, Data delenMauritz Kop31 januari 2020AIRechtData delen, Trainingsdata, kunstmatige intelligentie, privacy, ethiek, recht, intellectueel eigendom, artificiele intelligentie, Internet of Things, publiek domein, FRAND, GDPR, clearance, databankenrecht, TDM-exceptie, algoritmes, AI-systeem, innovatie, arbeidsrecht, Harvard, Silicon Valley, Europa, Nederland, AI-ecosysteem, Health, Entertainment, AgriFood, coderen, Human Capital, blockchain, quantum computing, governance, regulation, big data, CAHAI, samenwerking, data sharing, competitie, winnaarsmentaliteit, succes, Support Centre for Data Sharing, European Data Portal, Free flow of non-personal data, mixed datasets, cyberspace, data commons

Blog over Kunstmatige Intelligentie, Quantum, Deep Learning, Blockchain en Big Data Law

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De Quantum Age roept veel juridische vragen op

Hoe kunnen we kwantumtechnologie reguleren?

Bewustwording van ethische, juridische en sociale aspecten

Quantum technology has many legal aspects

The Quantum Age raises many legal questions

Regulating quantum computing, quantum sensing & the quantum internet

Supervised machine learning needs annotated training datasets

Legal reform and data-driven economy

Freedom of expression and information, public domain, competition law

Data protection and privacy

Modalities of future AI-regulation

Trainingsdatasets voor kunstmatige intelligentie: enkele juridische aspecten

Data donor codicil

Data interoperabel en gestandaardiseerd

Machine generated (non) personal data

Juridische dimensie

Juridische diensten en projecten in Nederland en daarbuiten