Quantum creativity with James Wootton

In this episode, Sebastian Hassinger welcomes back James Wootton, now Chief Science Officer at Moth Quantum, for a fascinating conversation about quantum computing's role in creative applications. This is a return visit from James, having appeared on episode 2, this time to talk about his exciting new role. Previously at IBM Quantum, James has been a pioneer in exploring unconventional applications of quantum computing, particularly in gaming, art, and creative industries.Key TopicsOrigins of James's Quantum JourneyStarted in Arosa, Switzerland (coincidentally where Schrödinger developed his wave equation)Initially skeptical about commercial applications of his quantum error correction researchCreated "Decodoku" (a play on "decoder" and "Sudoku"), a puzzle game to gamify quantum error correction in 2016The same year IBM put a 5 qubit machine on the cloud, creating a paradigm shift in accessibilityQuantum Gaming InnovationsDeveloped what may be the first quantum computing gameCreated "Hello Quantum," a mobile educational gameDeveloped "Quantum Blur," a tool that encodes images in quantum states, allowing users to see how quantum gates affect imagesUsed quantum computing for procedural generation in games, including terrain generation for Minecraft-like environmentsQuantum Art and CreativityCollaborated with a classical painter who has used Quantum Blur as his main artistic tool for five yearsExplored using quantum computing for music generationInvestigated language generation using the DiscoCat frameworkMoth QuantumJames joined Moth Quantum as Chief Science OfficerThe company focuses on bringing quantum computing to creative industriesTheir approach recognizes that in creative fields, "usefulness" can mean bringing something unique rather than just superior performanceAims to build expertise with current quantum technologies to be ready when fault tolerance enables quantum advantageAt the beginning of May, 2025, Moth collaborated with musical artist ILA on a project called "Infinite Remix," using quantum computing in the creation of an exciting new musical creation tool.