Is It All But A Complex Puzzle?Quantum Machine Learning is less like solving a flat puzzle and more like discovering pieces that twist into higher dimensions. Let's explore how to balance the big picture with the technical details. And why seeing both matters for making real progress.August 29, 2025

Dear Quantum Machine Learner,

When dealing with complex topics, we often tend to lean too heavily in one direction. Sometimes we remain at the abstract level, where everything sounds promising but vague. Other times, we dive so deep into technical details that we lose sight of the big picture.

You have probably experienced both approaches yourself. Quantum machine learning is precisely such a field. It constantly pulls us back and forth between grand visions and stubborn details.

Think of it like a puzzle. At first glance, you expect a flat surface where each piece will eventually fit into place. With Quantum Machine Learning, however, the pieces are not simply lying on a single plane. They twist, overlap, and sometimes seem not to fit together at all. In fact, there may be several valid solutions. And when we think beyond the flat surface and imagine higher dimensions, new possibilities arise that we had not even considered before.

This is another reason why the connection between quantum computing and machine learning is so exciting. If we are more drawn to the abstract side, quantum machine learning forces us to deal with concrete details such as parameterized quantum circuits, measurements, and training loops. If we are more of a detail-oriented thinker, it challenges us to take a step back and ask a profound question: How does this work?

In my latest post, I try to help you see both sides at once. The elegance of uniform evolution and the disorder of probabilistic learning. My goal is not only to explain the mechanisms, but to show you how the puzzle itself changes when we look at it from a different angle, so you can decide for yourself what the finished picture might look like.

This is about developing a mindset that helps you avoid getting stuck in either extreme. Instead of just having big dreams or just grappling with equations, you'll see how these two ways of thinking can enrich each other. That's the real task of quantum machine learning.

See you at the puzzle.

—Frank ZickertAuthor of PyQML