In this episode, Jessica teaches Kimberly quantum computing — and we mean that literally. Starting from classical bits and working through superposition, Schrödinger's cat, the observer effect, and Google's Willow chip, Jessica builds a surprisingly intuitive explanation of what quantum computers actually do and why they matter for the future of AI.
But the episode starts somewhere else, with the phone call Jessica made after we stopped recording, questioning whether she should have tried to explain something she isn't formally trained in. That moment opens a bigger conversation about why women hesitate to speak publicly in technical spaces — not because they lack knowledge, but because the social penalties for being visibly uncertain are higher.
We cover:
- How classical computers work (bits, binary, the basics)
- What makes quantum computers fundamentally different (superposition, qubits, the observer effect)
- Schrödinger's cat — what it actually means and why a physicist would argue the cat is both dead and alive
- The double-slit experiment and why watching something changes what it is
- How Google's Willow chip did in five minutes what would take a classical computer longer than the age of the universe — and why you should read that headline carefully
- Why quantum computers are kept colder than outer space
- The three possible futures for quantum computing and what each would mean for everyday life
- The connection to AI — why quantum could speed up model training and what that actually looks like
- Who controls access to this technology, and why that question sounds familiar
- The research on why women adopt new technologies more slowly — and what it has to do with self-silencing, impostor syndrome, and gendered penalties for public uncertainty
Links
Women, voice, and silence
Tech adoption and impostor feelings
Quantum computing basics
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