Abstract: Given that the Planck length is 10^{-35} meters, directly measuring quantum gravity effects does not seem feasible. For this reason, finding physical systems where quantum fluctuations are enhanced is crucial to put theoretical ideas about quantum gravity to the test. Work by Verlinde and Zurek in 2019 has suggested that an enhancement of geometrical fluctuations takes place in a ‘causal diamond’: the causally accessible region to an observer in a finite time interval. This has been dubbed the ‘VZ-effect’. If correct, this leads to a quantum gravitational background noise that can be measured by future dedicated interferometry experiments. In this talk, I will explain the status of this proposal and highlight some of its controversial aspects. To address these controversies, I will show that the fluctuations proposed by VZ have a natural interpretation in inflationary cosmology. This clarifies the assumptions that need to be satisfied for the ‘VZ-effect' to be observable.