International arbitration stands at the threshold of another profound inflection point—one beyond artificial intelligence (“AI”). Even as practitioners and institutions grapple with the current and future implications of AI, a more fundamental shift is approaching: quantum computing. This emerging technology does not merely improve or accelerate analysis; it changes the nature of computing itself. For international arbitration—which routinely addresses technically complex, cross-border disputes involving high-value assets, sensitive data, and emerging technologies—quantum computing is poised to shape both the disputes that arise and the way they are resolved more fundamentally than AI.
Unlike AI, which improves how we use today’s computers, quantum computing changes what can be computed—reshaping business and law in ways that will reverberate through dispute resolution for decades. Quantum computing will affect international arbitration in two distinct but related ways. First, it will generate a growing volume of disputes arising from quantum-related investments, commercial and technology contracts, regulatory measures, and cybersecurity failures. Second, it will influence arbitral practice itself, including how evidence is protected, how expert testimony is evaluated, and how tribunals manage technically complex proceedings.
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