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arXiv · 2507.12957

The Goldilocks zone of governing technology: Leveraging uncertainty for responsible quantum practices

Miriam Meckel·Philipp Hacker·Lea Steinacker·Aurelija Lukoseviciene·Surjo R. Soekadar·Jacob Slosser·Gina-Maria Poehlmann
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Abstract

Emerging technologies challenge conventional governance approaches, especially when uncertainty is not a temporary obstacle but a foundational feature as in quantum computing. This paper reframes uncertainty from a governance liability to a generative force, using the paradigms of quantum mechanics to propose adaptive, probabilistic frameworks for responsible innovation. We identify three interdependent layers of uncertainty--physical, technical, and societal--central to the evolution of quantum technologies. The proposed Quantum Risk Simulator (QRS) serves as a conceptual example, an imaginative blueprint rather than a prescriptive tool, meant to illustrate how probabilistic reasoning could guide dynamic, uncertainty-based governance. By foregrounding epistemic and ontological ambiguity, and drawing analogies from cognitive neuroscience and predictive processing, we suggest a new model of governance aligned with the probabilistic essence of quantum systems. This model, we argue, is especially promising for the European Union as a third way between laissez-faire innovation and state-led control, offering a flexible yet responsible pathway for regulating quantum and other frontier technologies.

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Miriam Meckel, Philipp Hacker, Lea Steinacker, Aurelija Lukoseviciene, Surjo R. Soekadar, Jacob Slosser, Gina-Maria Poehlmann. 2025-07-17. The Goldilocks zone of governing technology: Leveraging uncertainty for responsible quantum practices. https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.12957

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