Lecture | Tuesday Talk
Can games unlock the quantum future?
- Date
- Tuesday 14 April 2026
- Time
- Address
-
Gorlaeus Building
Einsteinweg 55
2333 CC Leiden - Room
- CM1.26
Quantum computers promise a societal revolution: from speeding up drug discovery to climate modelling and exploring the frontiers of physics—but today’s machines can barely solve practical problems. The hardware mostly exists, but the software needed to unlock their power is still largely missing. Artificial intelligence could help bridge that gap, but first it needs to learn how to navigate the rules of the quantum world. To tackle this challenge, researchers are turning to an unexpected laboratory: classic arcade games such as Pong and Tic-Tac-Toe.
Join us for this Tuesday Talk, where Dr Evert van Nieuwenburg explores how quantum physics, artificial intelligence, and games come together. By studying how AI interacts with quantum systems in these digital playgrounds, researchers are developing new ways to improve quantum technologies and build intuition for the quantum realm.
Join this Tuesday Talk
Everyone who is interested in this edition's topic is welcome. Please let us know if you are attending.
RegisterProgramme
The programme of the Tuesday Talk is:
| 15.45 hrs | Take a seat |
| 16.00 hrs | Tuesday Talks: Science Insights |
| 17.00 hrs | Drinks |
Quantum Physics Meets the Arcade
Games provide a controlled environment where AI can experiment and adapt to complex, quantum rules. In this setting, researchers can test quantum hardware, explore algorithmic strategies, and visualize subtle quantum phenomena such as superposition and entanglement. Beyond training AI, these digital playgrounds offer scientists a way to experiment with new quantum protocols and uncover patterns that could inform the design of future quantum algorithms. The insights gained today may eventually enable breakthroughs in understanding exotic states of matter and tackling some of physics’ most fundamental challenges.
About the speaker
Evert van Nieuwenburg is Associate Professor at Leiden University and founder of QuantumPlayed. Within the university, he is involved in the Applied Quantum Algorithms initiative, where he leads a research group working at the intersection of machine learning and quantum physics. With QuantumPlayed, he develops games that make quantum technology accessible to a wide audience—from beginners to experts—with the aim of improving quantum technology, developing talent, and bringing quantum science closer to society.
About the Tuesday Talks
The Tuesday Talks are Leiden Science’s monthly dose of research inspiration from our staff, for our staff and all others curious minds. Every second Tuesday of the month from 16:00 hrs till 17:00 hrs, drinks and meet up afterwards till 18.00 hrs.