Celebrating the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla at the British Consulate General Team in San Francisco

Around coronation weekend in May 2023—as King Charles III and Queen Camilla were crowned at Westminster Abbey—the British Consulate General in San Francisco hosted a coronation celebration at Grace Cathedral. The afternoon paired royal pageantry, screened from London, with a performance by the Saint Helena Unified School District choir. It was also, for the diplomats and scientists present, an unstructured space in which the governance of emerging technology could be raised informally—a cultural moment that doubled as quiet science diplomacy.

A celebration that became a conversation

Stanford legal scholar Mauritz Kop, who works on responsible quantum technology and trustworthy artificial intelligence, used the gathering to discuss pathways toward responsible quantum technology (RQT) and trustworthy AI with government representatives from an array of countries. Consular receptions rarely produce communiqués; what they produce is shared vocabulary and durable relationships—the connective tissue on which later cooperation depends. A coronation party is, on its surface, a cultural moment; for the people in the room, it was also a rare unstructured setting in which the substance of technology policy could be raised without the apparatus of a formal summit.

Science diplomacy, defined

Science diplomacy is the deliberate use of scientific cooperation to build relationships and inform policy across borders. The questions raised that afternoon were genuinely interdisciplinary: because an arbitrary unknown quantum state cannot be perfectly copied—the no-cloning theorem—quantum technologies reshape what secure communication and intercept attacks can even mean, with direct consequences for cryptography, security, and the legal frameworks that must keep pace. Raising such questions with diplomats from several governments, in a room built for conversation rather than negotiation, is exactly how interdisciplinary governance work begins.

The hosts and the guests

Among the representatives present were Dutch Innovation Consul Walter de Wit and Consul General Dirk Janssen. The event was organized by the UK Science & Innovation Network; Kop thanked Joe White MBE, then His Majesty's Consul General in San Francisco, and Florence Chaverneff of the Network, for convening it. The lesson is a small one with large implications: a guest list is also an agenda, and cultural occasions are among the better instruments of technology diplomacy.

Why it matters

Responsible quantum technology and trustworthy AI will not be governed by any country acting alone, but by networks of people who trust one another enough to disagree productively. Those networks are sometimes built in conference halls and sometimes in a cathedral, on a celebratory afternoon—between a screening of a coronation and a choir's last song. Read alongside the formal record of conferences and consultations, the afternoon is a reminder that some of the most consequential governance work happens in the margins of cultural events. Related reading: AIRecht's coverage of the Stanford Center for Responsible Quantum Technology.

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Geopolitics, AcademicsMauritz Kop6 mei 2024Mauritz Kop, Stanford RQT, AI, Governance, Science Diplomacy, Quantum Technology, San Francisco, United Kingdom, Coronation, UK Science & Innovation Network

Stanford Law’s Mauritz Kop advises UK Regulatory Horizons Council on Regulating Quantum Technology Applications

London, UK, February 28, 2024— The global race to harness the transformative potential of quantum technology is well underway. As nations position themselves at the forefront of this scientific and industrial revolution, the United Kingdom has taken a decisive step to not only lead in innovation but also in the thoughtful development of its regulatory landscape. A key milestone in this journey is the recent report on "Regulating Quantum Technology Applications" by the UK's Regulatory Horizons Council (RHC). It was an honour for Mauritz Kop to contribute to this important and timely work, and this post will delve into the background, his advisory role, and how scholarship from the Stanford Program in Law, Science and Technology (LST) directed by Professor Mark Lemley has helped shape the UK's pro-innovation approach to quantum governance.

Centre for Science and Policy’s Expert Network at the University of Cambridge

On August 8, 2023, Mauritz Kop, Visiting 'Quantum & Law' Scholar at Stanford University, had the honour of advising the UK's Regulatory Horizons Council, an expert committee that counsels the government on regulatory reform for emerging technologies. In his discussion with Tom Newby (Policy Fellow, Centre for Science and Policy at the University of Cambridge) of the RHC, Kop advocated for a pro-innovation regulatory framework—one that fosters growth and attracts investment while proactively addressing societal risks. He is delighted to see that his recommendations and overall vision of regulating quantum have been significantly reflected in the final report, which will now directly inform the UK's national quantum policy.

This engagement builds upon a foundation of extensive scholarship, including his work within the Cambridge University network and, most notably, research at the imminent Stanford Center for Responsible Quantum Technology. Its publications, such as the "10 Principles for Responsible Quantum Innovation" and "Regulating Transformative Technology in The Quantum Age: Intellectual Property, Standardization & Sustainable Innovation," have provided a robust intellectual framework for the very challenges the RHC was tasked to address.

A Pro-Innovation and Responsible Approach to Regulating Quantum & AI

His advice to the RHC was guided by the core vision of the imminent Stanford Center for Responsible Quantum Technology: to foster a regulatory environment that is enabling, not stifling. A pro-innovation framework, as he argued, is crucial for attracting domestic and international talent and investment. Innovators and investors are drawn to jurisdictions that offer regulatory clarity and a commitment to responsible development. By establishing such an environment, the UK can position itself as a premier destination for the burgeoning quantum industry.

The RHC report embraces this philosophy. It explicitly rejects a one-size-fits-all regulatory model and instead advocates for a nuanced, application-specific approach. Recognizing that quantum technologies are at varying stages of development, the report wisely suggests that the timing and nature of regulatory interventions should be carefully calibrated. This aligns with the view that governance should be agile and adaptive, evolving in step with the technology itself.

The Influence of the "10 Principles for Responsible Quantum Innovation" on UK Quantum Governance

Kop was particularly pleased to see the RHC report explicitly reference and incorporate the "10 Principles for Responsible Quantum Innovation." This framework, developed by Kop’s interdisciplinary team at Stanford Law School, is the culmination of interdisciplinary collaboration aimed at providing actionable guidance for policymakers, innovators, and other stakeholders in the quantum ecosystem.

The Path Forward: A New Model for Tech Governance

The collaboration between the Stanford Center for Responsible Quantum Technology and the UK's Regulatory Horizons Council exemplifies a new and promising model for technology governance. As we stand on the cusp of a quantum revolution, it is imperative that we move beyond the reactive regulatory postures of the past. The development of transformative technologies requires proactive and thoughtful engagement from all stakeholders, and academia has a crucial role to play in providing the intellectual frameworks and evidence-based analysis needed to inform sound policymaking.