The Quantum Computer as a Medium of the Future
Christoph Ernst, Jens Schröter · 2025
The quantum computer continues the promises of a technological future that have been associated with the classical digital computer since the 1960s. Quantum computing is often regarded as a current “‘revolution.” Its envisioned computational performance is associated with enormous promises. The question of what the “computer of the future” will be is therefore currently very often answered with reference to quantum computing. By analyzing selected scenes from Alex Garland’s science fiction television miniseries Devs , from 2020 that depicts the use of a fully developed form of a quantum computer as a medium, the text discusses a basic imaginary associated with quantum computing, the idea of quantum computing as a medium that is capable to calculate the future. To make the basic coordinates of the imaginary “quantum computer as a future medium” visible, six of the currently common assumptions around the use of quantum computers as forms of media are introduced. This is followed by an analysis of Devs , which leads to the conclusion that Devs depicts a quantum computer as a form of “spiritual medium.” The text concludes by comparing these findings to the basic assumptions on the use of quantum computing as media.