One Way How Quantum Computing Could Impact the Art World

by Liina Raud
edited by ChatGPT
image by Liina Raud

 

I first heard the phrase quantum computing during a phone call with a colleague. He mentioned, almost casually, that a “quantum yard” was being built on Chicago’s South Side, at the old U.S. Steel South Works site. A quantum yard? My brain went blank.

I’m an artist. I work with light, materials, texture, stories — not equations. Tech jargon sends me straight to sleep. I didn’t even know what coding was until my daughter started Synthesis classes online. But ever since I’ve started digging into AI — how it works, how it’s trained, how it’s reshaping entire industries — I’ve realized I can’t ignore quantum computing any longer.

So I tried to understand it the only way I know how: by asking Google the most basic question possible.

What is Quantum computing?

Google’s AI mode answered with logistics examples — how qubits can optimize shipping routes by calculating many variables at once: weather forecasts, traffic patterns, fuel efficiency, delivery windows. Helpful, but not exactly what I was looking for.

My real question was this: why can’t classical computers do the same thing?

That’s when the deeper explanations began. And that’s when I realized I had entered unfamiliar territory.

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What Quantum Computing Actually Is — in Human Language

Classical computers operate in bits: 0 or 1.
Quantum computers operate in qubits: 0 and 1 at the same time.

That ability — to exist in multiple states simultaneously — allows quantum computers to evaluate enormous numbers of possibilities at once. This makes them uniquely suited for problems that choke classical systems: climate modeling, molecular simulations, cryptography, optimization, and yes, advanced AI training.

That last part is what pulled me in.

I wasn’t interested in optimizing delivery trucks. I wanted to know:

• What does quantum computing mean for AI?
• Will it change how AI is trained?
• Will it reshape everyday tools?
• Will it impact self-driving cars?
• Will Elon Musk find another way to profit from it?
• And most importantly for me: what does this mean for the art world?

What I found out is pretty interesting. And fun to discover.

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Quantum + AI: A New Accelerator

Quantum computers don’t “replace” AI, but they give it a much more powerful engine. With quantum processing, AI can:

• detect patterns humans can’t see
• analyze massive datasets almost instantly
• handle multi-layered, high-dimensional information
• draw connections too complex for classical systems

This opens possibilities in scientific research, medicine, climate studies — and, surprisingly, the arts.

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Quantum Authentication in the Art World

As someone who works with artists and galleries every day, I constantly see how much energy the art world spends verifying authenticity. Fakes move through the market at every level: small galleries, major auctions, private collections, museums. Everyone is fighting the same battle.

Quantum computing could dramatically improve this process.

Here’s how.

1. Ultra-Detailed Scanning

Using quantum-enhanced sensors — or even existing tools like hyperspectral imaging — a painting can be scanned at resolutions far beyond the human eye. These scans can capture:

• paint texture and micro-topography
• thickness of each layer
• direction and pressure of brushstrokes
• microscopic cracks
• pigment chemistry
• tiny movement signatures specific to the artist

This goes far past what conservators or experts can observe manually.

2. Converting Artwork Into Quantum Data

All that detail becomes structured data that a quantum system can analyze — not as images, but as mathematical patterns.

3. Quantum Pattern Recognition

Quantum machine-learning algorithms can then:

• identify an artist’s unconscious “handwriting”
• compare it across verified works in seconds
• detect anomalies immediately
• flag pigments that didn’t exist in the artist’s era
• simplify massive datasets without losing critical information

In other words: authentication becomes faster, more accurate, and more objective.

What It Could Look Like in Practice

A gallery discovers a possible lost work.
They send a digital scan to a quantum authentication service.
Minutes later, they receive:

• a confidence score
• pattern and style analysis
• pigment verification
• layer and brushstroke metrics
• historical consistency checks
• potential red flags

This could save institutions millions, prevent legal battles, and expose forgery networks.

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But There’s a Catch

Powerful tools always have downsides.

The same technology that can authenticate art can also help produce extremely convincing forgeries. Quantum-powered deepfakes and counterfeit artworks could challenge museums and collectors in new ways.

If a system can understand an artist’s invisible patterns,
it can eventually replicate them.

This means the art world will need new standards, new defensive technology, and new ethical frameworks — fast.

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So What Does This Mean Today?

Quantum computing won’t appear on your phone or laptop anytime soon. But its influence will grow in areas we interact with every day:

• AI training and performance
• medical research and drug design
• climate and weather modeling
• materials science
• cybersecurity and encryption
• autonomous vehicles

and, increasingly, the way we verify truth — including art

For those of us working in creative fields, quantum computing represents a shift we can’t ignore. It’s not about knowing every technical detail. It’s about understanding how new tools will shape the industries we depend on: art, media, culture, technology.

I’m not a scientist. I’m an artist trying to make sense of the future as it arrives. If AI helped me understand quantum computing, maybe this piece helps someone else take the first step too.

Because ultimately, technology doesn’t exist in a vacuum.
It reshapes meaning, trust, culture, and identity.
And artists should be part of that conversation.