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Paper short abstract

Drawing on ethnographic research on large technology firms engaged in quantum computing development, the paper explores how imaginaries, strategies, and everyday innovation practices shape paths toward possible quantum futures, thereby navigating uncertainty and negotiating notions of responsibility

Paper long abstract

While breakthroughs in quantum computing (QC) could have transformative effects across society, reshaping sectors including finance, healthcare and cybersecurity while raising profound questions about privacy, security, and accessibility, many aspects of its practical viability remain uncertain. Although QC is theoretically well understood, the feasibility of scalable industrial applications that outperform classical computing remains unproven. This coexistence of potential, (over)promise, and ontological indeterminacy makes QC a fruitful domain for examining how organizations pursue emerging technologies when neither technical feasibility nor market viability can be clearly determined.

This paper forms part of an ongoing research project examining how large technology firms navigate uncertainty while creating pathways toward possible quantum futures. The study examines how firms construct strategies, allocate resources, and sustain commitment under these conditions, and how these visions and commitments are translated into everyday innovation practices. Because such pathways actively shape technological futures whose societal consequences remain uncertain, questions of responsibility become particularly salient.The presentation therefore focuses on what role responsibility, often articulated through notions such as “responsible innovation” or “responsible design”, plays in guiding these processes. How does it become embedded in innovation practices—whether as ethical reflection, strategic positioning, or a way of legitimizing technological commitments?

Drawing on ethnographic research in large technology firms engaged in quantum computing development, the study examines innovation as an ongoing socio-technical process (Garud & Turunen 2021). By tracing everyday design practices, strategic negotiations, and decision-making, the study shows how firms construct and stabilize pathways toward quantum futures while navigating uncertainty and competing expectations.