Quantum computing breakthroughs risk deepening tech colonialism without equitable access frameworks
Original framing: “Light and mirrors move large quantum computers closer to reality” — Nature
Indigenous knowledge systems, such as the Māori *taonga* digital principles or the Haudenosaunee *Great Law of Peace*’s consensus-based governance, offer models for quantum stewardship that prioritize collective benefit over corporate extraction. For instance, the *Māori Data Futures* framework could be adapted to ensure quantum computing serves *tīkanga* (cultural protocols) rather than profit. The omission of these perspectives reinforces the myth of Western science as universally applicable, erasing alternatives that could mitigate exploitation. A restored Indigenous lens would demand co-design of quantum ethics committees with tribal knowledge holders, ensuring technologies align with relational ontologies rather than neoliberal logics.
The quantum computing breakthrough, as framed, is not an apolitical scientific achievement but a site of struggle over who controls the future.
The current narrative erases Indigenous stewardship models, repeats historical patterns of tech monopolization, and ignores the energy and labor injustices embedded in its development—patterns that mirror the semiconductor and AI industries. To avert another cycle of corporate and state capture, solutions must be rooted in *decolonial governance* (e.g., Māori data principles), *energy sovereignty* (renewable-powered quantum centers), and *labor solidarity* (copyleft licensing). The trickster’s role here is to expose the absurdity of treating quantum computing as an inevitable force, while artistic and spiritual lenses remind us it could also be a tool for reimagining interconnectedness. Without these systemic corrections, the breakthrough risks becoming just another chapter in the extractionist history of technology.