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Lt. gov. says quantum computers, AI will revolutionize our lives

Ohio's future will look either ominous or auspicious based on decisions made today, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted told several dozen county leaders on Wednesday.

"We're at an incredibly interesting time in human history," Husted said. "None of us really know how it's going to affect our lives."

The state's second-in-command outlined his priorities Wednesday for nearly a hundred members of the Northwest Ohio Commissioners & Engineers Association during the body's quarterly meeting.

First, though, he paid homage to the event's host city, Bucyrus. He explained that his wife, Tina, is a native of Crawford County and a graduate of Colonel Crawford High School.

"Every time I come to Bucyrus, I have to stop at Carle's and get her some bratwurst," Husted said, drawing applause from the audience.

The Republican quickly got to business during Wednesday's speech to explain that his efforts are focused on economic development, workforce development and statewide innovation. Those three, in many ways, are connected.

"What you will see over the next 10 years, in terms of technology advancements, will be greater than what you've seen in any point in time in your lives," Husted said.

He said that the creation of the internet and the advent of smartphones will look like small accomplishments next to what the future is bringing to the Buckeye State.

The coming years will revolutionize the way Ohioans learn, do their jobs and live their lives. He said he wants the state to be ready.

The state's placement among the world's technological leaders became evident to the lieutenant governor recently when he visited Cleveland Clinic to see the nation's first privately owned and operated quantum computer.

"Does anybody know what a quantum computer is?" Husted asked. "Raise your hands."

He waited a moment, then encouraged the county leaders not to be shy.

"I'm not going to call on you," he said, which drew a laugh from the audience.

He finally explained that the new technology was "scary fast."

"Let me put this into context," Husted said.

He said that the newest quantum computers can calculate in just one day what the most advanced supercomputers were going to need 10,000 years to accomplish.

He said the technology is "like a time machine," and now it is changing the world from Ohio.

"Unsolvable health problems are going to he solved using quantum computers," Husted said. "They can run simulations of things we could never do before."

Along with the seemingly unfathomable computational speeds, the world also has obtained artificial intelligence so advanced that it might appear to be more science fiction than reality.

The lieutenant governor told the group of county leaders that they could ask the AI to write in-depth research papers comparing and contrasting Greek and Roman cultures, explaining how they both apply to modern United States.

"It will write it for you," Husted said. "And it will be good."

Pairing the quantum computers with AI could change the world.

He acknowledged that some in the audience perhaps especially older, rural Ohioans might not be fans of those ideas. In fact, they may even fear them.

"Some of you might be saying to yourself: 'I don't want this to happen,'" Husted said. "But the reason I share these things with you is because they're going to happen."

Ohioans can play a big part in the nation's technological future, and the lieutenant governor said projects like the new Intel chip manufacturing site in New Albany are a great start.

"Right now, America makes 0% of the most high-tech computer technology," Husted said. "We rely on places that are under the influence of the Chinese Communist Party and people who are not friends of the United States. That is an untenable situation. America must make the things that we need for our economic and national security."

Aside from curing cancer and writing research papers, quantum computers controlled by AI also can do mischievous things, like hack through an encrypted site in the blink of an eye.

"America needs to win the technological battle if we want to win the economic and national security battle," Husted said. "It's important that Americans win and not China in these technological races. Ohio plays a role in that."

ztuggle@gannett.com

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Twitter: @zachtuggle

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Husted outlines technological futures to Ohio leaders visiting Bucyrus - Telegraph-Forum