The AI in Business Podcast: What Executives Need to Know About Quantum Computing and AI - with Daniel Lidar of the University of Southern California and Izhar Medalsy of Quantum Elements Inc.

What Executives Need to Know About Quantum Computing and AI - with Daniel Lidar of the University of Southern California and Izhar Medalsy of Quantum Elements Inc.

Jan 23, 2026

Today’s guests are Daniel Lidar, Holder of the Viterbi Professorship of Engineering at USC, Director of the USC Center for Quantum Information Science & Technology, co-founder and CSO of Quantum Elements, Inc., and Izhar Medalsy, Co-founder and CEO of Quantum Elements. Quantum Elements develops tools to reduce noise in quantum computers for scalable performance. Daniel and Izhar join Emerj Editorial Director Matthew DeMello to explore why quantum computing is entering enterprise strategy now, explaining qubits, quantum simulation, and practical applications beyond hype. Daniel and Izhar also share practical takeaways like quantum simulation for accurate materials and drug design, optimization for financial portfolios, post-quantum encryption for data centers, and assessing business impact by identifying problems quantum solves today. Want to share your AI adoption story with executive peers? Click emerj.com/expert2 for more information and to be a potential future guest on the ‘AI in Business’ podcast!