Changing the properties of materials on demand using external
parameters is a crucial method for understanding the conditions which
allow for the appearance of emergent order and for generating new
functionalities. Using laser light for this purpose is a particularly
interesting approach, as it provides control on the fundamental time
scales governing a solid, and may lead to the creation of non-equilibrium
steady states without static equivalents. Progress in this research
direction is benefitting from current breakthroughs in both experimental
techniques for strongly driving collective modes and extending new
observables to the ultrafast regime, but also from theoretical
advancements in the simulation of many-body systems. I will introduce
some of the key concepts and techniques for creating such "dynamic
quantum materials" and present recent experiments showing that laserdriven quantum materials can transiently display superconducting
electrical and magnetic properties up to room temperature.