- Quantum and Cryptography – Bhagvan Kommadi
Following the opening keynote, the first major technical session was delivered by Bhagvan Kommadi delivered a technically grounded presentation on “Quantum and Cryptography.” Kommadi, known for his contributions to the development of secure systems and emerging technology platforms, began by explaining the vulnerabilities posed by quantum computers to classical cryptography systems.
His presentation focused on how quantum algorithms particularly Shor’s Algorithm could break widely used encryption systems like RSA, ECC, and DSA in a matter of seconds once large-scale quantum computers become operational. He presented simulations and theoretical models illustrating how a 2048-bit RSA encryption could be rendered obsolete, causing chaos in industries ranging from banking and healthcare to defense and civil services.
To address this crisis, Kommadi introduced the concept of Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) encryption techniques that are resistant to quantum decryption. He outlined several leading PQC protocols like lattice-based cryptography, multivariate polynomial schemes, and hash-based signatures. He emphasized the importance of standardizing these protocols globally, citing the ongoing efforts of NIST in the United States, and encouraged Indian regulatory bodies like CERT-In and NIC to accelerate their own evaluations.
He also explored Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), a technique that allows for the secure transmission of encryption keys using quantum properties like entanglement and no-cloning. Kommadi explained how QKD, though still nascent, could be a game-changer for secure government communication and financial transactions.
What made his talk particularly engaging was his demonstration of how traditional legal tools like digital signatures, e-evidence authentication, and contractual privacy clauses will all become vulnerable unless built on quantum-secure foundations. He called upon legislators to revise the Indian Information Technology Act, 2000, and other similar legislation globally, to include PQC standards, recognize QKD as a legally valid transmission method, and mandate crypto-agile infrastructure.
Kommadi closed his session by posing a rhetorical but urgent question: “If the locks of the digital world can be broken tomorrow by quantum tools we invent today, are we ready to replace those locks, or will we live in fear of every door being opened?”
- Quantum Influence, AI, Cybersecurity & Capacity Building – Prof. (Dr.) Amlan Chakrabarti
Next, the conference heard from Prof. (Dr.) Amlan Chakrabarti, an eminent figure in quantum AI and cybersecurity research, who delivered a session titled “Quantum Influence, AI, Cybersecurity and Capacity Building.” Dr. Chakrabarti serves as a senior professor and researcher and has been involved in several national projects related to emerging technologies in collaboration with Indian governmental agencies.
Dr. Chakrabarti’s presentation was both futuristic and grounded in current national policy needs. He mapped the convergence of three key forces, quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity—and discussed how their mutual evolution creates both challenges and opportunities for democratic governance and legal infrastructure.
He emphasized that the quantum influence on cybersecurity is profound, especially for sectors that handle critical infrastructure such as power grids, national defense networks, and financial markets. He noted that cyber-attacks, which are already escalating in sophistication, could become even more insidious with quantum-enhanced malware and undetectable spyware. He proposed the creation of a Quantum-Cybersecurity Coordination Council that would bring together cybersecurity experts, legal professionals, and ethical AI researchers to develop countermeasures, protocols, and legal responses.
He also stressed on capacity building as a national imperative. India, he said, is poised to become a global leader in quantum AI, but this can only be achieved through heavy investment in training, indigenous R&D, and public awareness campaigns. He advocated for more government-backed fellowships, startup incubators, and university-industry collaborations. The need for legal expertise in these programs was particularly stressed.
Dr. Chakrabarti also pointed out the risks of algorithmic opacity in AI systems powered by quantum computing. As these systems become more autonomous and less interpretable, existing accountability structures whether legal, administrative, or ethical will be increasingly tested. He urged lawmakers to consider new legal doctrines around “algorithmic liability” and the role of explainability in AI justice systems.
- Legal and Societal Implications of Quantum AI – Rebecca Krauthamer
The major technical session was delivered by Rebecca Krauthamer, the Co-founder and CEO of QuSecure, one of the world’s leading post-quantum cybersecurity firms. A widely respected figure, Forbes 30 Under 30 awardee, and an alumnus of Stanford University, Krauthamer has become a prominent voice at the intersection of quantum technology and ethical AI development.
Her session, titled “Quantum & Artificial Intelligence: Legal and Societal Implications,” offered an incisive overview of the legal transformations necessitated by the emergence of quantum-AI systems. She began by describing the fundamental differences between classical and quantum computing. While classical systems are limited by binary computation, quantum machines operate through principles like superposition and entanglement, offering exponential increases in computational power. However, she emphasized, this computational leap comes with commensurate legal and ethical challenges.
- Quantum & AI: Legal Perspectives – Saakshar Duggal
Following the intensive keynote by Dr. Duggal, the next session was led by Saakshar Duggal, an emerging leader in AI and cyber law and a practicing lawyer at the Delhi High Court. With an impressive portfolio including 19 TEDx talks, invitations from global platforms like the United Nations and Harvard University, and his current role as CMO of the Artificial Intelligence Law Hub, Saakshar brought an articulate, youth-driven voice to the forum.
His session, titled “Quantum & AI: Legal Perspectives,” focused on how the fusion of quantum and artificial intelligence technologies is rewriting the rules of engagement in cyberspace. He began by reflecting on the changing definition of cybercrime in the age of quantum AI, suggesting that conventional terms such as hacking, surveillance, or privacy invasion may need complete re-articulation when quantum-enabled actors are involved.
He emphasized that quantum computing combined with advanced AI could allow for highly sophisticated cyber intrusions, pattern predictions, and identity reconstructions at a speed and scale unimaginable with classical systems. In particular, he warned of scenarios where AI could independently generate legal strategies or even write misleading or fabricated evidence—activities that current law does not fully account for.
In a dynamic and interactive style, Duggal discussed the concept of “algorithmic sovereignty”, where citizens must have the right to challenge and audit AI decisions that impact their rights or legal status. He also emphasized the significance of developing an AI Accountability Act, which would hold developers, institutions, and governments responsible for the unintended consequences of AI powered by quantum computing.
One of his major proposals was the integration of “Ethics-by-Design” principles into the architecture of quantum-AI systems. This, he argued, would embed ethical constraints such as fairness, transparency, and explainability into the system from the developmental stage, reducing the burden on the legal system to retrospectively enforce compliance.
He also highlighted the importance of public awareness and civic education. According to Duggal, “Quantum law will remain elitist unless it’s democratized.” He advocated for the inclusion of AI and quantum legal rights in school and university curricula and urged universities to launch specialized research centers on quantum jurisprudence, focusing not only on legal risk but also on tech-driven rights awareness.
Closing his session, Saakshar Duggal proposed the creation of a Youth Quantum Law Fellowship Program to train the next generation of cyber lawyers, AI ethicists, and legal policy researchers. His youthful energy, legal clarity, and activist spirit left a lasting impression, especially on students and early-career professionals in the audience.
- Education, Capacity-Building & Governance in the Quantum Age – Pradeep Kumar
The third session was led by Pradeep Kumar, Co-founder of Qbit Labs, a startup working at the frontier of quantum technology applications. With an academic background from IIT Kanpur (B.Tech in Electrical Engineering) and an MBA from IIM Lucknow, and professional experience in organizations like ABB and Alstom, Mr. Kumar provided a strategic and governance-focused outlook on the quantum revolution.
In his talk titled “Education, Capacity-Building & Governance in the Quantum Age,” he began by highlighting a fundamental gap: although technology is progressing rapidly, the human ecosystem required to harness, regulate, and govern quantum innovation is severely lacking. There are too few trained professionals, and legal and administrative structures are far from being quantum-ready.
He proposed a three-layered strategy:
- Quantum Literacy: Begin with awareness programs at the school level to make students familiar with the basics of quantum science, logic, and ethics. This would normalize quantum literacy in society within the next decade.
- Professional Training and Interdisciplinary Courses: Mr. Kumar advocated for collaboration between law schools, engineering institutions, and management schools to develop joint quantum-law curriculums. Lawyers must understand quantum principles, and technologists must understand legal consequences.
- Public Sector Capacity: According to him, most bureaucrats, policymakers, and judges are currently untrained in quantum subjects. Specialized workshops and certifications are essential for judiciary members and regulatory authorities to understand and adjudicate on quantum-related matters.
He also proposed the establishment of Quantum Regulatory Sandboxes where new quantum technologies could be tested under controlled legal environments before mass deployment. These testbeds would allow real-time engagement between developers, regulators, ethicists, and users. Mr. Kumar stressed that governance structures must not be overly restrictive, or they risk stifling innovation, but must be anticipatory and dynamic.
On an international level, he recommended India’s leadership in forming a G20 Quantum Governance Consortium, which would focus on setting transnational regulatory norms, ethical principles, and legal harmonization for quantum deployment in finance, healthcare, defense, and digital infrastructure.
He closed by reminding the audience that the quantum revolution will not be driven by machines alone but by people—and it is this human infrastructure that needs urgent attention.
- Quantum Cryptography – Dr. B.K. Murthy
The session that followed was delivered by Dr. B.K. Murthy, a technocrat with over three decades of experience at MeitY (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology), Government of India, and former CEO of the IIT Bhilai Innovation and Technology Foundation. Dr. Murthy is widely credited with initiating and leading national programs in AI, Blockchain, and Quantum Computing, and is the recipient of the prestigious VASVIK Industrial Research Award. His session titled “Quantum Cryptography” delved into the national and global research efforts in quantum-safe communication and secure data exchange. Dr. Murthy explained the central role of cryptography in the digital infrastructure of any nation—governing everything from financial transactions and defense communication to medical records and legal evidence.
With quantum computers threatening to nullify current encryption methods, Dr. Murthy argued that Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) is one of the most promising approaches to safeguard data integrity in the post-quantum world. He presented an overview of the Indian government’s recent initiatives in QKD, including pilot projects, partnerships with ISRO, and experimental quantum communication lines between sensitive nodes.
He also addressed legal questions related to quantum cryptography. If data is transmitted through QKD, can it be deemed legally admissible? What standards should courts apply to evaluate the integrity of quantum-encrypted evidence? How should civil and criminal procedures evolve to account for the increased complexity and abstraction of quantum-derived information? These were questions he posed to lawmakers, urging them to begin consultations with quantum scientists before the arrival of mainstream quantum tech.
Importantly, Dr. Murthy stressed on international collaboration. “No country can create a complete quantum ecosystem alone,” he stated, advocating for regional clusters of excellence and transnational legal harmonization bodies. He also advised India to take a proactive role in global cybersecurity dialogues by introducing quantum-security clauses in trade treaties and digital cooperation frameworks.
To conclude, he proposed the creation of a National Quantum Legal Preparedness Index (NQLPI) that would measure the readiness of Indian institutions—including judiciary, executive, legislature, and academia—to deal with quantum threats and opportunities.
- Quantum Privacy & Data Protection – Prashanto Roy
Next, the forum welcomed Prashanto Roy, a leading technology policy expert, columnist, and former Vice-President of NASSCOM. His session, titled “Quantum Privacy and Data Protection,” focused on the transformation required in existing data protection regimes to withstand the quantum leap in decryption capabilities.
Roy began by presenting a sobering projection: encrypted personal data collected today by tech giants or governments could be stored and later decrypted by adversarial entities once quantum decryption becomes viable. This introduces the concept of retroactive privacy breach—a legal gray area where personal information that was legally protected when collected can be illegally accessed later, years or decades into the future.
This, he explained, means data protection laws such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the EU and India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act) will need urgent updating. These laws currently operate on the assumption that encryption ensures long-term confidentiality—a premise quantum computing challenges at its core.
Roy suggested that future-ready laws must include concepts such as:
- Right to Future Privacy
- Right to Quantum Erasure
- Data Expiry in Post-Quantum Systems
- Disclosure of Encryption Strength in Privacy Notices
He emphasized the need for data localization policies to ensure that personal data remains within jurisdictions that have adopted quantum-security laws. Furthermore, he warned of the rise of quantum surveillance states where governments may use quantum AI tools to analyze, profile, and manipulate citizens at unprecedented levels.
Roy advocated for post-quantum transparency frameworks, which would obligate data controllers to inform users whether their data is stored or transmitted in quantum-vulnerable formats. He also recommended setting up a Quantum Data Protection Tribunal, a quasi-judicial body that could arbitrate disputes involving post-quantum data breaches, algorithmic violations of consent, and surveillance abuse.
In a compelling closing remark, he reminded the audience: “In the quantum age, privacy is not just a right—it is a race against time.”
- Quantum Cybersecurity – Animesh Aaryan
The next session was delivered by Animesh Aaryan, the CEO of TAQBIT LABS PVT LTD, a Bengaluru-based technology company innovating in cybersecurity, defense tech, and secure digital transformation. With a Master’s degree in science from Cochin University of Science and Technology and a deep grounding in technology entrepreneurship, Aaryan presented a highly practical and implementation-oriented session on “Quantum Cybersecurity.”
He opened his presentation by drawing attention to the evolution of cyber threats from conventional malware and ransomware attacks to the emerging possibility of quantum-assisted cyber intrusions. Quantum computing, he explained, has the ability to perform brute-force attacks on currently “unbreakable” encryption methods at unprecedented speed. In a world increasingly reliant on digital infrastructure, such capabilities could be weaponized by state and non-state actors alike.
Aaryan categorized the quantum threat landscape into four domains:
- Quantum Hacking of Classical Systems – Using quantum processors to undermine traditional cryptographic protocols.
- Quantum AI Reconnaissance – Employing quantum-enhanced AI to simulate and anticipate network vulnerabilities.
- Quantum Data Harvesting – Collecting encrypted data today with the intention to decrypt it post-quantum.
- Zero-Day Quantum Attacks – Discovering vulnerabilities in post-quantum algorithms themselves.
He emphasized that cybersecurity frameworks cannot afford to remain reactive. Instead, organizations must transition to a “Zero Trust Posture” that includes post-quantum cryptographic schemes and redundancy measures. He outlined TAQBIT’s proprietary work in quantum-safe architecture and presented real-time demonstrations of protocols that detect, isolate, and mitigate quantum-enabled attacks.
In a particularly compelling segment, he discussed quantum forensics, a nascent discipline that aims to trace and document quantum-level breaches for legal proceedings. Given that traditional IP logging and forensic trails may not apply in quantum environments, there is a dire need to invent new digital forensics tools that can operate in a non-linear, probabilistic quantum context. Aaryan suggested this as a core area for research collaboration between legal scholars, cybercrime enforcement bodies, and technologists.
Another unique insight he presented was the idea of “digital decoys”—the deliberate creation of fake cryptographic environments designed to lure and trap quantum attackers. Such techniques, he claimed, could act as early warning systems for nation-states and corporations.
He ended by advocating for a National Quantum Cybersecurity Strategy, emphasizing that a siloed approach to quantum risk management would be inadequate. He recommended that the strategy include not just technological deployment but also legal reforms, public awareness campaigns, and industry standards.
- Quantum Technologies, Critical Infrastructure & National Security – Sunil Kumar Gupta
The final speaker of this segment was Sunil Kumar Gupta, Co-founder and CEO of QNu Labs, one of India’s premier startups in the domain of quantum security. With a career spanning 25+ years across leadership roles in EdgeVerve, Symphony Services, and Hughes Software Systems, Mr. Gupta brought a deeply strategic, national-security-focused lens to the quantum discourse.
His session titled “Quantum Technologies, Critical Infrastructure & National Security” examined how quantum computing, if misused or monopolized, could paralyze essential services in any modern nation. Power grids, railway signaling systems, air traffic management, financial exchanges, emergency communication lines—all depend on secure, time-sensitive, and uncorrupted data exchange. The collapse of encryption could lead to a “digital blackout”, resulting in civil unrest and systemic failure.
Gupta discussed real-world simulations conducted by QNu Labs that modelled the potential cascading failures in telecom and defense communication lines in the event of a quantum-based breach. He advocated for building quantum firewalls, creating redundant QKD-secured communication routes, and conducting national-level stress tests. He also warned of quantum espionage, wherein foreign actors use quantum AI tools for stealth data infiltration, influence operations, or digital sabotage. His policy recommendation was to declare quantum technologies a “critical sector”, bringing them under the ambit of national security laws such as the Defence of India Act or equivalents.
Finally, Gupta called for the formation of a National Quantum Security Council (NQSC) composed of representatives from defense, telecom, finance, home affairs, and external affairs. He concluded with a call to action: “Quantum is not only a science of the future—it is the battlefield of the present.”
- Education, Capacity Building & Governance for Quantum Technology – Sudin Baraokar
The penultimate speaker of the day was Sudin Baraokar, a global IT and deep tech advisor, former CIO at State Bank of India (SBI), Barclays, IBM, and GE. Currently, he advises global organizations and academia and has played a key role in developing SBI’s YONO platform, which now serves over 50 million users. With a career spanning innovation in AI, blockchain, cybersecurity, and quantum computing, Baraokar’s session was a strategic overview on “Education, Capacity Building & Governance for Quantum Technology.”
Sudin began by asserting that quantum adoption without a social architecture is a recipe for disruption. He introduced the term “Quantum Literacy for All”, arguing that quantum readiness should not be restricted to labs and boardrooms but must penetrate civil society, public institutions, and frontline service workers. “We cannot have quantum elites in a digitally underprepared society,” he warned.
He presented a robust framework he termed the “5E Model” for quantum readiness:
- Educate – Create formal curriculum modules from school to postgraduate levels focusing on quantum logic, cryptography, and ethics.
- Enable – Build infrastructure such as quantum labs in universities, sandbox environments in government institutions, and testbeds in private companies.
- Engage – Promote interdisciplinary engagement between law, technology, economics, and ethics.
- Evaluate – Set up national benchmarking and auditing agencies to assess institutional quantum maturity.
- Empower – Offer fellowships, research grants, and startup incubators for quantum entrepreneurs, especially in Tier II and Tier III cities.
Baraokar emphasized the critical need to include legal stakeholders—judges, lawyers, enforcement agencies—in the education process. As he rightly pointed out, legal practitioners will soon find themselves dealing with disputes involving quantum contracts, algorithmic bias, or AI-powered evidence—yet they are rarely part of the training ecosystem.
He also discussed quantum governance, proposing that India should establish a dedicated Ministry of Quantum Technologies, similar to the Ministry of Electronics & IT (MeitY), tasked with setting standards, overseeing ethical deployments, regulating exports, and coordinating with international partners. He envisioned this body acting in concert with educational institutions, security agencies, and legislative committees.
Sudin’s closing message was optimistic yet realistic: “We are not just consumers of the quantum era; we must become its architects. But for that, our foundation—education, governance, and law—must be resilient, inclusive, and visionary.”