AT&T Labs' Mazin Gilbert on AI, quantum computing, data collaboration and 5G

Dr. Mazin Gilbert, AT&T Labs' vice president of advanced technology, is placing his research bets on software defined infrastructure, big data, artificial intelligence and ways to scale and optimize the telecom giant's network. But first Gilbert needs some help from the open source community to bring the data sharing that'll enable many of these advances. We caught up with Gilbert last week in New York City to talk shop. Here are a few highlights from my conversation with Gilbert: Interest in quantum computing. AT&T Labs is looking at quantum computing in terms of the network. "We're not looking to build a general quantum computer. It's more about intelligence at the edge and exponential processing in the future," said Gilbert.