If a quantum computer comprised of biological matter could arise through autonomous evolutionary processes, then I would have to think that intelligences like our own will eventually come to figure it out. If this is the case, then it may be possible to engineer subjectivity outside of our grey matter. Quantum computers could also be useful for running simulations of quantum mechanics, an idea that goes back to Richard Feynman; he observed that there is no known algorithm for simulating quantum systems on a classical computer and suggested to study the use of a quantum computer for this purpose. One has to wonder if the same logic applies to the potential for quantum computers to run consciousness simulations.
Given the extreme computational power and speed of quantum computers, I can't even become to fathom what a conscious agent would do within such an architecture.
All bets are off once a conscious superintelligence starts to engage in selective decoherence.
I've yet to discover a compelling reason why consciousness can't be substrate-independent -- provided that the substrate is "quantum compatible."
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There's also nothing in the article that says AI and uploading are impossible. It just might take longer to realize. A lot longer, but I think it'll eventually be doable - just not with the technology we have today, no matter how fast or powerful our processors get. We need a state change in technology comparable to the difference between electric light and whale oil lamps.
I've been getting more and more skeptical lately that it's all just a matter of sitting back and waiting for Moore's law to make it possible. With the analog model, I've never seen much to suggest that even if you had the computational power to map the human mind, you'd end up with anything more than a digital "photograph" of a consciousness. And a photograph is just a photograph, no matter how fine the resolution.
I won't ever say it's impossible - just more difficult than we thought. That seems to be a common refrain these days, in everything from space travel to computing.
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