We should avoid quantum computing hype – but that doesn’t mean that we should overlook its profound potential

Ironically, conversations about quantum computing tend to be conducted in one of two states. Quantum computing is a truly new field in which we are seeing genuine innovation, so unprecedented that it threatens to turn entire paradigms on their head. That’s why it is important to stay excited about this week’s news, which even the usually put-upon academics in quantum computing and mechanics greeted positively. Quantum supremacy might only be a milestone, one that doesn’t have much practical application or specific meaning, but it is a milestone on a journey that could fundamentally reshape the world. Staying overly cautious or getting carried away by the hype both dull the profound effect that quantum computing will have, and could mean we miss some of the most radical technology in the world.