3 questions to Lionel Martellini (EQI) on the new white paper “Reclaiming the Quantum Narrative […]”

What should we improve in the way we talk about quantum, and why does it need a new narrative?

Lionel Martellini: The way we talk about quantum physics gets in the way of understanding it. Slogans like “the cat is both dead and alive”, “a particle is in two places at once” or “spooky action at a distance” are memorable, but they make the subject less intelligible. And they make quantum technology look almost like magic.

At the EDHEC Quantum Institute, our view is different: quantum mechanics is less mysterious than ambitious. It aims to describe not only what happens, but the structured field of what can happen before an outcome becomes a fact.

Once you keep three levels distinct - potentiality, probability and actual outcome - much of the apparent paradoxes fade. And you get a clearer picture of what quantum technologies really do: they prepare and control possibilities before those become recorded outcomes.

How does the paper "Reclaiming the Quantum Narrative [...]" guide readers from physics to decision-making, and what does it reveal about the Institute’s vision and the ideas it advocates?

Lionel Martellini: We started from the physics, moved to the technologies, and ended with decisions. 

The paper first clarifies the core ideas: superposition, interference, measurement, decoherence and entanglement, each with an operational meaning. It then shows how these concepts are at play  within the three families of quantum technologies: computing and simulation, secure communication and ultra-precise sensing.

The paper also explains why the quantum technologies are both so powerful and so fragile, since a useful device has to preserve quantum coherence until the right moment of readout. We then close with a practical grid for leaders to evaluate any quantum proposal.

Why speak to decision-makers, and what are your key pieces of advice for them?

Lionel Martellini: Because the choices that will shape the field are made by those who invest, partner, regulate, experiment and prepare, and they don’t need to master the full mathematical formalism to make relevant decisions and take meaningful actions. They need a sufficiently accurate mental model to tell a genuine quantum mechanism from a quantum label, scientific possibility from engineering feasibility, and technical progress from commercial readiness.

AI has shown how quickly technology can reshape business. Quantum technologies will follow their own trajectory, but leaders face a similar challenge: preparing early enough to make informed choices as capabilities mature. That means developing quantum literacy today, understand quantum technologies and prepare for their use, while being clear about when it makes sense to invest.

Our advice comes down to a five-step discipline. Start with a problem worth solving. Define the advantage that would matter: speed, cost, accuracy, security or energy use. Identify the quantum mechanism that could produce it. Make the engineering requirements explicit. And demand evidence against the best realistic alternative. There is one exception to this logic: post-quantum cryptography.  You can’t afford to wait for powerful quantum computers to act, because sensitive data can be collected today and decrypted in the future.

All in all, I’d say that once the mystery is out of the way, what remains is an extraordinary opportunity: with a clear mental model and the right questions, leaders can start preparing today to turn quantum’s potential into practical value. I invite you to discover the full white paper here, and to meet the Institute’s team at the World Quantum Festival in Cannes in mid-November.