Quantum and AI Agents: A Short Business Explainer

Quantum computing and AI both demand massive investment. That investment eventually needs a return. To attract it, promoters describe extraordinary future applications — but that often confuses the business world. The wires get crossed between where the technology actually is and what is still a decade away. This note explains what’s real now, what’s promised for later, and how to plan sensibly in the present.

The What

Quantum Computing
A completely new way of designing chips. Instead of a simple on/off switch, think of something more like a dial with many possible positions.

AI Agents
A step up from answering single questions to handling whole pieces of work. Today’s AI is like an employee who does only the task instructed. AI agents will be closer to a colleague who takes responsibility for a project: keeping track of steps, remembering what has been done, and moving the work forward without constant supervision.

The So What

In both cases the promise is the same: a step change in capacity, productivity, and operating costs. These shifts always generate new and unexpected applications, but the core point is simple. They expand what is possible.

And Today?

Quantum computing is not relevant to business planning today. There is no stable hardware, no equivalent of a commercial Nvidia stack, and nothing you can safely build on in the near term.

AI agents do not work yet either. However, they are a logical next step for any organisation that already uses AI in a structured way. If you want the eventual shift to be smooth rather than disruptive, check where you stand on the following:

• Is your data structured, accessible, and suitable for AI use?
• Do you know what you want AI to do and how you will measure its impact?
• Are your employees and stakeholders ready for AI-enabled workflows?
• Will you build or buy your AI capability, and do you understand the trade-offs?