My guest today is Scott Aaronson, a theoretical computer scientist, OG blogger, and quantum computing maestro.

Scott has so many achievements and credentials that listing them here would take longer than recording the episode! Here's a select few:

- Self-taught programmer at age 11, Cornell computer science student at 15, PhD recipient by 22!
- Schlumberger Centennial Chair of Computer Science at The University of Texas at Austin.
- Director of UT Austin's Quantum Information Center.
- Former visiting researcher on OpenAI's alignment team (2022-2024).
- Awarded the ACM prize in computing in 2020 and the Tomassoni-Chisesi Prize in Physics (under 40 category) in 2018.

… you get the point.

Scott and I dig into the misunderstood world of quantum computing — the hopes, the hindrances, and the hucksters — to unpack what a quantum-empowered future could really look like. We also discuss what makes humans special in the age of AI, the stubbornly persistent errors of the seat-to-keyboard interface, and MUCH more.

I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did. For the full transcript, some highlights from Scott’s blog, and bucketloads of other goodies designed to make you go, “Hmm, that’s interesting!” check out our Substack - https://newsletter.osv.llc/.

Important Links:

- Shtetl-Optimized - https://scottaaronson.blog (Scott’s blog)
- My Reading Burden - https://scottaaronson.blog/?p=8217
- On blankfaces - https://scottaaronson.blog/?p=8217

Show Notes:

0:00:00 Intro
0:00:38 Main podcast
0:01:52 So much reading. So little time.
0:07:26 The problem of human specialness in the age of AI
0:23:00 It’s always the same quantum weirdness
0:26:39 Why it’s easy to be a quantum huckster
0:31:06 Quantum progress, quantum hopes, and quantum limits
0:41:04 Encryption in a post-quantum world
0:52:12 Wielding the hammer of interference
1:01:50 Scientific discovery in a quantum empowered world
1:13:33 Bureaucracy and blank faces
1:16:03 Scott as Emperor of the World

Books Mentioned:

- The Fifth Science; by Exurb1a
- The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy; by Douglas Adams