How to make qubits speak

TL;DR

This paper explores how to enable quantum computers to process and understand language in a natural, compositional, and meaning-aware way, demonstrating question-answering on a quantum platform and discussing broader quantum-native implementations.

Contribution

It introduces a quantum-native, compositional approach to natural language processing and demonstrates question-answering on an actual quantum computer, highlighting the potential for broader applications.

Findings

Question-answering achieved on a quantum computer

Use of pictorial, meaning-aware representations

Guidance provided for quantum NLP implementation

Abstract

This is a story about making quantum computers speak, and doing so in a quantum-native, compositional and meaning-aware manner. Recently we did question-answering with an actual quantum computer. We explain what we did, stress that this was all done in terms of pictures, and provide many pointers to the related literature. In fact, besides natural language, many other things can be implemented in a quantum-native, compositional and meaning-aware manner, and we provide the reader with some indications of that broader pictorial landscape, including our account on the notion of compositionality. We also provide some guidance for the actual execution, so that the reader can give it a go as well.