Quantum Subliminal Learning
Abstract
Machine learning models can inherit hidden behavioral traits through innocuous public interfaces, a phenomenon known as subliminal learning. Here we extend this framework to quantum models and study two distillation pathways: an auxiliary channel on random inputs and a restricted task channel in which the student matches a public supervised output while the hidden behavior resides on a disjoint task. Both classical and quantum neural networks (QNNs) exhibit efficient auxiliary-channel subliminal learning, but the task channel shows strong architecture dependence. Classical neural networks transmit little hidden-task information through the public-task interface, whereas QNNs retain most of the hidden-task signal. We show that a unified geometric picture explains both regimes: transmission is controlled by the teacher drift magnitude together with the fraction of hidden-task-relevant drift that remains visible through the public interface. These results identify a concrete security concern for quantum model supply chains and suggest a controlled route for hidden-information transfer in quantum information processing.
Comments: 4.5 pages, 3 figures, with supplemental materials
Cite
@article{arxiv.2605.29557,
title = {Quantum Subliminal Learning},
author = {Shi-Xin Zhang and Yu-Qin Chen},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2605.29557},
year = {2026}
}