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<figure id="figure-zmkn1qikxlm8x6nrct" data-full-width=""><img id="zmkn1qikxlm8x6nrct" src="https://cdn.durable.co/blocks/24Bi9p5xAvdRyMJHZQcncMCGimnRSItKAvH3TurUWVMcID7BFuLZgPQuhx90Tmof.jpg" alt="" title="" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 3/2; object-position: 10% 95%;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="3:2" data-caption="I'm Not Everyone's Cup of Tea and That's Fine Because I'm Prosecco. " data-positionx="10%" data-positiony="95%" data-fullwidth="true" data-mce-src="https://cdn.durable.co/blocks/24Bi9p5xAvdRyMJHZQcncMCGimnRSItKAvH3TurUWVMcID7BFuLZgPQuhx90Tmof.jpg" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 3/2; object-position: 10% 95%;"><figcaption class="body-normal text-gray-500 mt-2">I'm Not Everyone's Cup of Tea but That's Fine Because I'm Prosecco.</figcaption></figure>There's a moment that arrives in every life – that breathtaking, terrifying instant when you stand at the crossroads of conformity and truth. When the whispers of "should" and "supposed to" collide with the thunderous roar of your soul's deepest knowing. This is where your story truly begins. When you refuse to let the dominant culture tell you whether or not you are beautiful, smart, technical, a leader, powerful or sexy.<h3>The Beautiful Truth of Not Fitting In</h3>Remember when you first realized that trying to compress yourself into someone else's mold left parts of you aching and unseen? Like walking around in an ill-fitting suit. That discomfort wasn't a flaw – it was your spirit's rebellion against the greatest theft possible: the stealing of your authentic self.The universe designed you as a singular masterpiece, with edges and curves and colors that will never align perfectly with everyone you meet. And thank goodness for that divine wisdom! Your so-called "flaws" and eccentricities aren't mistakes to be corrected but beacons that guide your kindred spirits home to you.When you finally release the exhausting performance of being liked by everyone, something miraculous happens.&nbsp; Remember, not everyone has good taste and the energy once spent on that charade becomes fuel for your wildest dreams and deepest connections.<blockquote>I am who I am. Your approval isn't needed. - Jack Nicholson</blockquote><h3>The Sacred Economy of Connection</h3>Not everyone deserves access to your inner landscape. Not everyone has earned the right to witness your vulnerability, your creative fire, your unfiltered joy. This isn't selfishness – it's stewardship of something precious.The truth that transforms is this: when someone fails to value your essence, they haven't diminished your worth – they've simply revealed their inability to recognize treasure when it stands before them. Their limitation becomes your liberation.Those who find you "too much" or "not enough" aren't your people. They never were. They are merely travelers passing through the museum of your life, glancing at masterpieces they lack the vision to appreciate. Let them continue their journey elsewhere.<blockquote>Don't let someone who doesn't know your value, tell you how much you're worth.</blockquote><h3>The Unmistakable Recognition</h3>But then... there are the others. The ones whose eyes light up at precisely the qualities others dismissed. The ones who lean in when you speak your truth. The ones who see your complexities not as contradictions but as the fascinating dimensions that make you real.These connections arrive with an unmistakable recognition – a sense of finally being seen without translation. The relief is palpable, like oxygen to lungs that have been holding their breath for far too long.When someone matches your energy of care and consideration, honors your boundaries as sacred, and celebrates your evolution rather than trying to contain it – this is love in its most authentic form. Not the desperate clinging of insecurity, but the expansive freedom of being cherished exactly as you are.<h3>Reclaiming Your Light</h3>Perhaps you've dimmed yourself before. Perhaps you've swallowed your words, hidden your gifts, or apologized for your power because it made others uncomfortable. Today is the day to reclaim every watt of your brilliance.<blockquote>Stop shrinking to fit places you have outgrown.</blockquote>Your greatness isn't arrogance – it's honesty. The world doesn't benefit from your smallness; it desperately needs your fullest expression. When you hide your light, you don't just deny yourself – you deprive others of the inspiration, solutions, and magic that only you can offer.The intimidated responses of others are not your responsibility to manage. Their discomfort with your radiance is information about their journey, not instructions for yours.<h3>The Brave Invitation</h3>So, here is your brave invitation:<ul><li>Stop auditioning for approval.</li><li>Stop fragmenting yourself into digestible pieces.</li><li>Stop waiting for universal validation that will never arrive.</li><li>Stop waiting for others to validate you.</li><li>Stop waiting for someone to come along and give you your worth.</li></ul><blockquote>We get what we settle for, so stop settling for what you don't want. Stop settling for crumbs when you deserve the whole damn cookie!</blockquote>Instead, become a loving archaeologist of your own being. Excavate the buried treasures of your innate gifts. Respecting yourself is vastly more important than being liked by others. Notice the patterns that have always been trying to emerge through you. Honor the whispers that have persisted despite every attempt to silence them.When you live from this authentic core, you become magnetic to your rightful community. Not to everyone – and that's the point. The connections that find you in your truth possess a depth and resonance that superficial acceptance could never provide.The greatest paradox is this: it's only when you fully release the need to be for everyone that you become irreplaceable to someone. It's only when you embrace the specific constellation of qualities that make you uniquely you that you find your place in the vast universe of human connection.Your life was never meant to be a watered-down compromise. It was meant to be a bold, unapologetic declaration. Not a whisper, but a song that carries across canyons and returns as an echo from the hearts that recognize its melody as home.This is your one wild and precious life. Live it as the unfolding masterpiece you were always designed to be.

The Magnetic Power of Authenticity: Why Being Unapologetically You Attracts Your Perfect Tribe

<figure id="figure-boyhk28zvam8vqikoa"><img id="boyhk28zvam8vqikoa" src="https://cdn.durable.co/blocks/2fLMGDqZ5CP6M1mOpAtbaLshSluAXD985BqIpoh3NIw5NhoD8ocoJdh5bB41d6Xp.png" alt="Yvette Schmitter sitting on a park bench looking off into the distance" title="Yvette Schmitter sitting on a park bench looking off into the distance" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 1/1; object-position: 100% 50%;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="1:1" data-caption="Yvette Schmitter" data-positionX="100%" data-positionY="50%" data-fullWidth="false"/><figcaption class="body-normal text-gray-500 mt-2">Yvette Schmitter</figcaption></figure>In the quietest moments, when the world's noise fades to a whisper, have you felt that persistent tug? That voice calling you toward something more authentic than the carefully curated self you present to others? This isn't madness—it's an invitation to reunion.<h3>The Danger of Isolation</h3>If you believe you're traveling this journey alone, you're sprinting toward a dangerous precipice. Isolation isn't merely uncomfortable—it's unsustainable. We aren't designed to navigate life's labyrinth without connection, without relatedness. The most profound truth of human existence might be that we find ourselves most completely in the eyes of others.<h3>Beyond Hope and Despair</h3>The narratives worth carrying aren't those that promise effortless triumph or resign us to inevitable defeat. The most valuable stories remind us that grace exists in the simple act of showing up—day after day, moment after moment. I wear bracelets as tactile reminders to remain open to wonder, to embrace my unfiltered self. The phoenix tattoo etched into my inner wrist serves as a permanent declaration: transformation isn't just possible—it's inevitable.<h3>The Wild Twin Beckoning</h3>Martin Shaw's "Courting the Wild Twin" struck a chord so deep within me that its resonance continues to shape my days. In a world obsessed with defining your parameters—dictating your beauty, prescribing your purpose, measuring your success against arbitrary yardsticks—Shaw reminds us of something revolutionary: your wild twin wanders the world, desperate to find you.This isn't metaphorical fancy—it's a profound truth about reclaiming what has been systematically stripped away. When Shaw writes of this twin as "the vintner of the blood-wine of your many private battles," selling it "in highly prized bottles to remote Armenian queens," he's speaking to that part of ourselves that refuses domestication, that celebrates our hard-won wisdom. As I type this, tears well in my eyes because I know this to to be true - I'm living proof to tell it.&nbsp;<h3>The Reunion That Saved Me</h3>I nearly lost everything before finding my wild twin. The reunion didn't come easily—it required dismantling carefully constructed defenses, confronting uncomfortable truths. Yet when we finally met, everything shifted. My twin restored the confidence that years of conformity had eroded. She illuminated strengths I'd been conditioned to ignore. Most importantly, she showed me that waiting for rescue was futile—I am the only hero my story requires.<h3>Your Invitation</h3>This recognition fuels my deepest commitment: to leave everyone I encounter more aware of their magnificence than when our paths first crossed. I'm determined to reflect back the greatness that others often can't see in themselves—to help them recognize their wild twin waiting patiently for reunion.Your wild twin hasn't given up on you. They celebrate your messy authenticity, your perfectly imperfect nature. The question isn't whether you're worthy of this reunion—it's whether you're ready to answer the call that's been whispering to you all along.What would become possible if you finally embraced the untamed brilliance that's been waiting for you to remember it exists?

The Untamed Call: Embracing Your Wild Twin in a World of Conformity

Remember when we thought the biggest threat to democracy was social media? Those were simpler times.Today, Blake Crawford and I published an open letter to Congress regarding something far more insidious: the Department of Government Efficiency's new AI chatbot, GSAi.According to a recent Wired article, this system has been quietly deployed to 1,500 federal workers. What hasn't been shared? Literally everything that matters:<ul><li>Security protocols? Mysterious.</li><li>Training data? Your guess is good as mine.</li><li>Oversight mechanisms? Apparently optional.</li><li>Ethical framework? Let me know if you find it. </li></ul>This is the digital equivalent of handing out loaded weapons at a kindergarten and calling it "self-defense training." It's not just negligent—it's willfully obtuse.As researchers who have spent years documenting how AI systems amplify existing biases, we're not just concerned—we're sounding every alarm we can reach. The same week Bank of America announced its data breach affecting half a million people, our government decided to play fast and loose with a technology notorious for security vulnerabilities and algorithmic bias.Our letter outlines six non-negotiable requirements for ethical AI implementation in government. But really, they boil down to this: don't build AI systems that make terrible human decisions faster and at greater scale.Those billions-deep in the AI race will happily tell you that regulation just "slows innovation." And I'm here to tell you that's exactly the point. Some things—like democracy, equity, and basic human rights—are worth the pause.Read our full <a data-mce-href="https://www.fusioncollective.net/oltc/" href="https://www.fusioncollective.net/oltc/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-mce-selected="inline-boundary">letter</a> and join us in demanding accountability. Because efficiency without ethics isn't progress—it's just automating our mistakes with better PR.<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: calc(18px * var(--body-fontSize, 1)); font-weight: inherit; font-style: var(--body-fontStyle, normal); background-color: rgba(249,250,251,var(--tw-bg-opacity));">

The Government's New AI Chatbot Is a Dumpster Fire of Transparency (And Nobody's Talking About It)

I recently shared insights with Andy Medici of The Business Journals on how the consulting industry faces unprecedented disruption from multiple fronts.The Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is scrutinizing contracts with consulting giants while AI tools increasingly question the value proposition of traditional consulting services.As I noted in the article, "Smaller firms (or even in-house teams) can now deliver top-notch insights without requiring an army of senior associates and associates in tow."This evolving landscape presents both challenges and opportunities for firms that can adapt quickly and deliver genuine value beyond what AI can provide off-the-shelf.Read my complete thoughts in today's Business Journals article, where I join other industry experts in analyzing this pivotal moment for the consulting world.<a data-mce-href="https://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/news/2025/03/10/doge-musk-trump-2025-consulting-ai-federal.html" href="https://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/news/2025/03/10/doge-musk-trump-2025-consulting-ai-federal.html" data-mce-selected="inline-boundary">Link</a> to article.

When the Consultants Need Consulting: My Take on the Industry's Perfect Storm

<figure id="figure-tkbz4ks8itm7xe7olq" class=""><img id="tkbz4ks8itm7xe7olq" src="https://cdn.durable.co/blocks/bnAU25xetiANJtLdBDpuhN2HX2S9QuTZYZ6L4b9ToVWDCKRmPCcSKGDp64HKpNw4.jpg" alt="" title="" class="object-cover bg-gray-100" style="aspect-ratio: 1/1; object-position: 100% 25%;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="1:1" data-caption="" data-positionx="100%" data-positiony="25%" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://cdn.durable.co/blocks/bnAU25xetiANJtLdBDpuhN2HX2S9QuTZYZ6L4b9ToVWDCKRmPCcSKGDp64HKpNw4.jpg" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 1/1; object-position: 100% 25%;"></figure>Remember the good old days when the worst privacy violation was your mom reading your diary? Well, buckle up, buttercup—artificial intelligence has entered the chat, and it's turning your private information into a self-replicating army of data points you never consented to create.<h3>AI: The DJ Remix Nobody Asked For</h3>AI isn't creating entirely new privacy problems; it's just remixing the greatest hits of privacy invasions into a chart-topping disaster track. Imagine if all the privacy concerns you've ever had decided to form a supergroup—that's essentially what we're dealing with here. AI takes existing issues with data collection, generation, decision-making, and analysis, throws them in a blender, and serves up a smoothie of privacy violations that our current laws can barely recognize, let alone regulate.&nbsp; &nbsp; Your "Consent" Is About as Meaningful as a Terms of Service Agreement&nbsp; Let's be honest: when was the last time you actually read a privacy policy? The current legal framework relies on this fiction that we're all making informed decisions about our data. It's the digital equivalent of saying, "I left the front door wide open, but I put up a sign that said, 'please don't enter' in 4-point font written in invisible ink."&nbsp; The notice-and-choice model is failing spectacularly in the age of AI. Companies are scraping data from every corner of the internet with all the restraint of a toddler in a candy store, while "consensual" data collection relies on mechanisms so flawed they wouldn't pass muster in a high school ethics class (do those classes, like home economics still even exist?).<h3>Your Data Is Now Cloning and Mutating</h3>Here's where it gets really fun: AI doesn't just collect your data—it clones and mutates it. Through inferences, AI systems generate entirely new information about you that you never explicitly shared. Thought you were just uploading a photo? Congratulations, you're now the unwitting source of dozens of data points about your emotional state, health conditions, and consumer preferences. Your original data is out there replicating like a digital amoeba, splitting and evolving without your knowledge or consent.<h3>Algorithmic Bias: When Your Past Mistakes Follow You Forever</h3>Remember that one time you made a poor financial decision? Or outfit choice? AI does, and it's not planning to let you forget it. AI-driven decision-making systems have the memory of an elephant and the nuance of a sledgehammer. They're turning patterns of the past into predictions that can determine your future, creating self-fulfilling prophecies that threaten human agency and fairness. Your past mistakes aren't just lessons anymore—they're permanent records that algorithmic systems use to keep you in your place.<h3>Big Brother Has Upgraded to Big AI</h3><a data-mce-href="https://george-orwell.org/1984/" href="https://george-orwell.org/1984/">George Orwell's 1984</a> looks quaint compared to what we're facing now. AI has supercharged surveillance capabilities to the point where privacy invasion isn't just a bug—it's the whole operating system. Everything from how Placer.ai uses phone location data to track visits at stores like Walmart, Target, and Costco to facial recognition, voice analysis and behavioral tracking—AI is turning the world into a <a data-mce-href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/panopticon" href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/panopticon">panopticon</a> where escape from observation is increasingly impossible. And unlike human surveillance, AI never gets tired, bored, or distracted by joke telling Bernese Mountain dog videos.<h3>The Transparency Illusion</h3>"But we've made our algorithm transparent!" cry the tech companies, as they hand over incomprehensible and incomplete code that even most computer scientists struggle to decipher. Traditional oversight mechanisms like transparency and due process become meaningless when confronted with dynamic algorithms that even their creators can't fully explain. It's like being handed the assembly instructions for a nuclear reactor written in hieroglyphics and being told, "See? We're being transparent!" <h3>When AI Goes Rogue: The Misinformation Machine</h3>As if all that weren't enough, AI can now generate deceptive content so convincing your own mother might fall for it. From deepfakes to synthetic text, AI-powered misinformation threatens to undermine trust in our information ecosystem. When you can't believe your eyes or ears anymore, privacy becomes just one casualty in a much larger war on reality itself.<h3>The Way Forward: More Than Just Digital Band-Aids</h3>So, what do we do? Clearly, asking individuals to manage their own privacy through checkboxes and toggles is like asking someone to stop a tsunami with a beach umbrella. We need structural solutions that place meaningful requirements on organizations, not just individuals.Here's what a real solution might look like:<ul><li>Shift the burden: Stop pretending individuals can control their data destiny and start holding organizations accountable.</li><li>Focus on harm, not just procedures: Privacy isn't just about whether companies followed their own policies—it's about whether people are harmed.</li><li>Treat inferred data like collected data: If AI derives information about you, that should have the same protections as information you explicitly shared.</li><li>Examine decisions for bias: Algorithmic decisions need to be fair, not just efficient.</li><li>Real transparency and oversight: Independent bodies should be able to audit AI systems without needing a computer science PhD.</li><li>Meaningful consequences: Privacy violations should result in more than just a slap on the wrist—they should hurt enough to prevent future violations.</li></ul><h3>The Bottom Line</h3>Our current privacy framework is like trying to regulate modern warfare with rules designed for swordfights. AI has fundamentally changed the privacy landscape, and our laws need to catch up. Until they do, your data will continue having children, grandchildren, and distant relatives you never agreed to create, all working together in a family business you never signed up for.The choice isn't between innovation and privacy—it's between thoughtful regulation and a future where the concept of privacy becomes as obsolete as the floppy disk. And unlike your old embarrassing photos, once privacy is gone, no amount of technology can bring it back.So, the next time you click "I Agree" without reading, remember you're not just sharing your data—you're potentially unleashing a chain reaction of information that will long outlive your memory of ever having shared it in the first place.

Your Data's Secret Life: How AI is Creating Digital Twins You Never Agreed To

<figure id="figure-okoc2c4osrm7q7mosd"data-full-width><img id="okoc2c4osrm7q7mosd" src="https://cdn.durable.co/blocks/1dimA5HpHbCmhm2Uch3A8hAFbd4I7TnQRs31auPdDtLJmHDTfNjXW93H1EmsZDXq.jpg" alt="" title="" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionX="undefined" data-positionY="undefined" data-fullWidth="true"/></figure>My heart races with both excitement and trepidation as I share with you, a technological breakthrough that could fundamentally reshape our world. Microsoft's announcement of Majorana 1, the world's first quantum chip powered by a groundbreaking Topological Core Architecture, isn't just another tech headline – it's a pivotal moment in human history that demands our attention, understanding, and most importantly, our conscious consideration.<h3>The Dawn of a New Era: A Technical Revolution</h3>Before we dive into possibilities, let me break down what makes this breakthrough so revolutionary in a way that speaks to hearts, minds and profits.Imagine trying to balance thousands of spinning plates on poles – that's similar to how traditional quantum computers work. Each spinning plate (represents a qubit) is incredibly delicate and can wobble or fall at the slightest disturbance, requiring constant attention and energy to keep spinning. Even a slight change in temperature or a tiny vibration can cause them to crash. This makes building larger quantum computers extremely challenging – it's like trying to keep more and more plates spinning without letting any fall.Now, Microsoft's breakthrough – the Majorana 1 – is like discovering a completely new type of plate that's naturally more stable – think of it as a self-balancing plate. These special plates (called Majorana particles) don't exist in nature, but Microsoft has figured out how to create them by combining specific materials in a precise way, similar to how a chef might combine ingredients to create a completely new dish with unheard/unknown ingredients that none of the original ingredients had. The Topological Core Architecture leverages these Majorana particles to create qubits that are inherently more stable and error-resistant at the hardware level, rather than requiring extensive software-based error correction. This fundamental stability stems from the topological protection of quantum information, making the system more robust against environmental disturbances.This breakthrough matters because it means we can potentially build much larger and more practical quantum computers – moving from juggling a few dozen delicate plates to managing millions of stable ones. And that's the scale we need to solve real-world problems that could transform our lives.The chip's innovative design uses aluminum nanowires arranged in H-patterns, with each H containing four controllable Majoranas forming a single qubit. This architecture allows for digital control rather than analog fine-tuning, dramatically simplifying the scaling process. Microsoft has already demonstrated eight topological qubits on a chip designed to scale to one million - a feat that would require a facility the size of a football field using conventional approaches.But what truly shifts the paradigm is the promise of practical scalability. Let me paint you a picture of possibility: Imagine a world where bridges heal themselves, where the scourge of microplastics vanishes from our oceans, where hunger becomes a distant memory through revolutionary agricultural breakthroughs. I keep saying this but - this isn't science fiction – it's the potential promise of Microsoft's new quantum computing technology. By achieving what was once thought impossible – creating and controlling Majorana particles to produce more reliable and scalable qubits – Microsoft has kicked down the door to computing power that could solve problems our most powerful current computers can't even begin to approach.Now, you can’t run out and buy one of these things and throw it in your desktop—we're still a long way away from that. &nbsp;And quantum algorithms and programming frameworks are an entirely different beast. &nbsp;But this was a big enough announcement that I couldn’t ignore not only this development but also the opportunity to remind you all: you need to pay attention.<h3>The Promise and the Business Potential</h3>As I've always said, with great power comes great responsibility, and the business implications of this technology are staggering. Let's look at how this quantum breakthrough translates into tangible business value:Operational TransformationThe ability to perform TRILLIONS of operations on a million qubits transforms how businesses can approach optimization problems. Supply chain optimization, financial modeling, and resource allocation - problems that currently take weeks or months to solve - could be tackled in hours or minutes. For a global manufacturing company, this could mean reducing inventory costs by 30-40% while improving delivery times by optimizing routing and warehouse operations - in real-time.R&amp;D AccelerationThe quantum advantage in simulating molecular interactions could cut pharmaceutical R&amp;D cycles from years to months to possibly days. A drug development process that typically costs $2.6 billion and takes 10+ years could potentially be compressed to a fraction of that time and cost. Similar advantages apply to materials science, where quantum-computed simulations could replace years of trial-and-error experimentation.Financial Services RevolutionQuantum computing's ability to analyze vast combinations of variables could revolutionize risk assessment, fraud detection, and portfolio optimization. Banks could offer more personalized financial products while better managing risk, potentially unlocking trillions in new economic value.As for specific transformative applications:<ol><li>Environmental Restoration: The ability to break down microplastics and develop non-toxic alternatives could be our planet's saving grace. Imagine calculated solutions for carbon capture, waste reduction, and ecosystem restoration – all powered with quantum precision.</li><li>Healthcare Revolution: By understanding enzyme behavior at the quantum level, we could unlock new treatments, personalized medicine approaches, and solutions to diseases that have long evaded our understanding. The implications for global health equity are staggering.</li><li>Infrastructure Innovation: Self-healing materials could revolutionize construction, manufacturing, and urban development. Think about bridges that repair themselves, buildings that adapt to environmental stresses, and infrastructure that grows stronger, not weaker, with time.</li></ol><h3>The Shadow Side: Risks and Responsibilities</h3>This all sounds amazing, technically astounding and mind blowing but we need to pause and reflect on the deeper implications. With every technological leap forward, we must ask ourselves: Who benefits? Who might be left behind? What are the risks we must address?Security ConcernsThe same computing power that could crack environmental challenges could also break current encryption standards, potentially exposing sensitive data and communications. We must proactively develop quantum-safe security protocols to protect our digital infrastructure BEFORE we scale its use.Bias and ExclusionThis is becoming eerily similar to businesses approach to cloud computing in the beginning, the race to the bottom to swap CapEx for OpEx without thinking through all of the things that need to happen to really derive value and enable business outcomes that move the needle.As we rush toward this quantum future, we must ensure that the datasets and problems we choose to solve represent all of humanity, not just a privileged few. The risk of embedding existing societal biases into quantum-powered solutions is real and must be actively prevented. Without this intentional step, honestly as a Black woman – this is straight up terrifying.Access and EquityWill this technology widen the digital divide, or can we ensure its benefits reach all corners of society? The answer lies not in the technology itself, but in our choices and policies around its deployment.<h3>A Call to Conscious Innovation</h3>What moves me most about this breakthrough is not just its technical achievement, but the opportunity it presents for humanity to do better – to learn from our past and create a more equitable future. Here's what we must commit to IMMEDIATELY:<ol><li>Ethical Framework Development: We need robust guidelines for all AI use not just for quantum computing applications, ensuring they serve the greater good while protecting individual rights and privacy.</li><li>Inclusive Development: Diverse voices must be at the table as we develop quantum applications, ensuring solutions address the needs of all communities. The persistent and continued underrepresentation of women and people of color in technical development and decision-making roles within the tech and manufacturing industries is a significant concern. This abject lack of diversity not only perpetuates systemic inequalities but also hinders innovation and inclusivity in product development. Diversity, Equity &amp; Inclusion (DE&amp;I) has been weaponized as an initiative and is currently being systematically dismantled, but the not-so-secret to our success is that diversity is the future of this country. Sticking to math, because it doesn't have an opinion, diverse markets and women in America are $16.3 trillion of the American $27 trillion GDP—that's 60% of the US economy. This is the reason why I like math. This is just bad business rejecting the business case of diversity. If you purely look at the math, do you want more customers or do you want them to go someplace else? Do you want employees who can understand the customer base? Do you want products on the shelf that reflect that? Business leaders, inclusivity is good business. Do the math and develop with inclusivity in mind (i.e., revenue, revenue, revenue).</li><li>Environmental Responsibility: As we scale this technology, we must consider its environmental impact and ensure it contributes to, rather than detracts from, our sustainability goals.</li></ol><h3>Technical Implementation and the Path Forward</h3>For businesses looking to prepare for this quantum future, the roadmap starts now. Microsoft's integration with Azure Quantum provides a pathway for organizations to begin experimenting with quantum algorithms and hybrid quantum-classical approaches. The platform's compatibility with existing AI frameworks means companies can start building quantum-ready applications today, ensuring they're prepared for the scaling advantages of tomorrow.<h3>Key steps for business leaders:</h3><ol><li>Quantum Literacy: Invest in building quantum computing expertise within your organization to understand the pros, cons, and downstream impacts not only across your organization, but your customers and the world.</li><li>Use Case Identification: Identify and map your most computationally intensive problems that could benefit from quantum advantage.</li><li>Infrastructure Preparation: None of this is going to work if your infrastructure isn’t ready – modernized, secure, resilient and scalable.</li></ol>So, before you go off jumping on the quantum computing band wagon, out of FOMO (fear of missing out), make sure you have a modernized data infrastructure, inclusive of data controls, governance, and security to support quantum-classical hybrid approaches.We are standing at a crossroads. The power of quantum computing, combined with AI, could either exacerbate existing inequalities or help create the more equitable world we dream of.The choice is ours.So, let us embrace this technology not just for what it can do, but for what it can mean for humanity when guided by intentionality, wisdom, compassion, and a commitment to the greater good. Let us ensure that as we build this quantum future, we build it for everyone.Remember, the true measure of any technological advancement isn't just in its processing power or technical capabilities – it's in how it serves humanity as a whole.As we step into this quantum age, let us do so with intentionality, humanity at its core, critical minds, and an unwavering commitment to creating a future that uplifts us all.In the end, the question isn't whether quantum computing will change our world – it's whether we'll be intentional enough to ensure it changes it for the better.And that is a responsibility we all share.This is our moment to shape the future.So, let’s do so with wisdom, intention, and an unwavering commitment to the greater good.The power is in our hands.&nbsp;

Taming Quantum Chaos: The Breakthrough That Could Turn Science Fiction into Monday Morning

Yvette Schmitter

My name is Yvette Schmitter, and I’m a dynamic, international motivational, keynote speaker and technology leader on a mission to transform the future of tech into a force that includes and uplifts us all. Drawing from my expertise in AI, cloud computing, and digital transformation, I empower audiences to lead with courage, dismantle barriers, and create solutions that bridge divides and drive lasting impact. Let’s build a future where innovation isn’t just progress—it’s progress for all. Join me in shaping the future we all deserve. My mission is to redefine the future of technology by championing innovation that includes and empowers all. As a trailblazer in the tech industry, I lead with purpose and passion, ensuring that every room where decisions are made is filled with diverse perspectives, so that technology truly serves humanity—not just a privileged few. By breaking down barriers and building bridges, I’m committed to creating a tech landscape where every voice is heard, every experience is valued, and every community has the opportunity to thrive.


Tech & Tell

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The Untamed Call: Embracing Your Wild Twin in a World of ...

The Government's New AI Chatbot Is a Dumpster Fire of Tra...

When the Consultants Need Consulting: My Take on the Indu...

Your Data's Secret Life: How AI is Creating Digital Twins...

Taming Quantum Chaos: The Breakthrough That Could Turn Sc...