> "The attempts to explain quantum computing are often as crap as any other attempt to explain anything "quantum", but in practice, it doesn't really change wha

> "The attempts to explain quantum computing are often as crap as any other attempt to explain anything "quantum", but in practice, it doesn't really change what computing looks like for most people. It means a certain class of problems can be solved more efficiently, and some problems may be solved that previously could not be, but it's not that significant to one not versed in the field." Quantum computing is likely to have a large impact on crypto (making the crypto we rely on now easier to break). A large part of the Hollywood hacker is someone who breaks into systems with relative ease. >"By contrast, if we ever did get true human-level AI... uh... are quite sure that "magician" wouldn't be appropriate at that point...? It's not entirely dissimilar to "demon summoner", though there probably won't be actual pentagrams involved. Although you never know; just as my UNIX system has an awful lot of "demons" in it it would only take one AI researcher with a hacker sense of humor to program in an last-ditch emergency "containment via drawing a pentagram" routine in the base OS for the successful AIs...." Again, the angle I was going for was more about the power of hackers. The type of opinions people had when they denied Mitnick his phone call from jail because they thought he could launch nuclear missiles. We're only starting to see the widespread impacts of AI. Wait until the impacts on day to day life are undeniable. At that point, people who can control AI will be seen as a little beyond the ordinary.