Cybersecurity in the Era of Quantum Computing and Advanced AI: Emerging Threats and Future Directions

Abstract

Quantum computing and advanced artificial intelligence are beginning to disturb several assumptions on which
current cybersecurity practice depends. This paper reviews two related areas of risk: the possibility that cryptographically
relevant quantum computers could weaken widely deployed public-key encryption, and the ways in which generative AI
and large language models are already changing cyber operations. The analysis finds that quantum risk should not be
treated as a distant event only, since sensitive encrypted data can be collected now and decrypted later if suitable
quantum capability becomes available. It also finds that advanced AI is already affecting the scale, speed, and credibility of
social engineering, reconnaissance, vulnerability analysis, and misinformation. The paper discusses the current state of
these threats, outlines plausible future scenarios, and identifies practical defensive priorities, including post-quantum
cryptography migration, AI system hardening, red teaming, content authentication, workforce training, and governance.
The central argument is that quantum and AI security should be handled as near-term resilience issues, even where their
most severe effects may appear later.