Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
November 2019
From ACM News
Machine Learning vs. Machine Learning
Using machine learning to detect deepfakes created for criminal purposes with machine learning.
From ACM News
The Second Machine Age Hits The Tipping Point
AI, robotics, and industrial software are rapidly approaching a tipping point that could correspond with the greatest level of stock outperformance.
From ACM TechNews
WPI Researchers Discover Vulnerabilities Affecting Billions of Computer Chips
Researchers found two flaws impacting Intel and STMicroelectronics central processing units that hackers could exploit to steal or doctor data on billions of devices.
From ACM TechNews
Apple Card Algorithm Sparks Gender Bias Allegations Against Goldman Sachs
Danish software developer David Heinemeier Hansson cited apparent gender discrimination in the Apple Card algorithm, spurring an investigation into Apple Card partner Goldman Sachs' credit card practices.
From ACM TechNews
Meal-Detection Technology Brings Artificial Pancreas Closer to Reality
Artificial intelligence researchers at Stevens Institute of Technology have created a system that detects when someone is eating and calculates their carbohydrate intake.
From ACM TechNews
MIT Robot Can Grow Like a Plant When It Needs Extra Reach
A new robotic system can "grow" in a way similar to how a young plant grows upward.
From ACM TechNews
This Piece of Music Could Stop Your Amazon Alexa
Carnegie Mellon University researchers developed a technique to inhibit the Amazon Alexa voice assistant's ability to respond to commands by playing an audio clip.
From ACM TechNews
How Do You Like Your Beef ... Old-Style Cow or 3D-Printed?
Israeli and Spanish companies are offering three-dimensionally (3D)-printed meat products synthesized from plant protein.
From ACM TechNews
Technique Helps Robots Find the Front Door
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a robotic navigation method that does not require mapping an area in advance.
From ACM TechNews
Drones Used in Crime Fly Under the Law's Radar
When a drone is flown as part of a crime, authorities often have a hard time collecting evidence unless they can actually obtain the device.
From ACM TechNews
3D-Printed Plastics With High-Performance Electrical Circuits
Innovation could lead to better drones, satellites, biomedical devices.
From ACM News
'Magic Mirror on My Wall…'
Smart mirrors bring a new form-factor to on-campus information access.
From ACM News
What Self-driving Cars Can’t Recognize May be a Matter of Life and Death
Engineers are racing to program artificial intelligence to recognize different scenarios that human drivers know inherently.
From ACM TechNews
Census Overhaul Seeks to Avoid Outing Individual Respondent Data
The U.S. Census Bureau is revamping its systems to prevent the use of published data to target individual respondents through the information they disclose.
From ACM TechNews
Pentagon Advisory Board Releases Principles for Ethical Use of AI in Warfare
The U.S. Defense Innovation Board has published a set of ethical principles for how military agencies should design weapons enabled by artificial intelligence and apply them on the battlefield.
From ACM TechNews
U.S. Companies Facing Huge Tech Talent Deficit in 2020
Talent acquisition platform iCIMS found a substantial shortage of professionals with technology skills, despite an upsurge of hiring across the U.S. technology sector.
From ACM TechNews
The Bioacoustic Signatures of Our Bodies Can Reveal Our Identities
Researchers in South Korea have developed a biometric system that uses a transducer to generate vibrations and sound waves that can be used to identify individuals.
From ACM TechNews
Police to Use Facial Recognition Drones to Help Find the Missing
Police Scotland has launched a new aerial drone system to help search for missing people.
From ACM TechNews
Robot Arm Lets You Remotely Lend Friends Helping Hand with Repairs
Researchers at the University of Bristol in the U.K. have developed a handheld robot for remote assistance with repairs.
From ACM TechNews
A 3D Print-Out You Could Call Home
The TERA project is one of the latest experiments in constructing homes with the aid of 3D printing technology.
From ACM News
What Chipmakers Tell Us About the Great Global Unwinding
The U.S.-China trade war is fracturing the world's semiconductor manufacturing base, and that won't stop even if the tariffs do.
From ACM TechNews
China Restricts Video Gaming by Minors
Chinese officials have unveiled guidelines for limiting online videogame use by persons under 18, claiming it hurts health and learning.
From ACM TechNews
Virginia Seeks Larger Pipeline of CS Degrees
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam unveiled plans to help public universities produce 31,000 additional degree-holders in computer science and related disciplines over the next 20 years.
From ACM TechNews
Burrito Delivered by Bot, as Long as Students Don't Trap It
The Kiwi Campus startup near the University of California, Berkeley, offers robot meal deliveries to students, with remote "pilots" in Colombia setting and adjusting way points as the bots travel.
From ACM TechNews
GitHub Tops 40 Million Developers as Python, Data Science, Machine Learning Popularity Surges
Microsoft-owned GitHub's annual Octoverse report said its software developer community now exceeds 40 million developers.
From ACM TechNews
Robotic Arm Slows Down to Avoid Uncanny Valley
Disney Research roboticists have found that slowing a robot’s reaction time and movements made people feel less threatened, helping to avoid the "uncanny valley" effect.
From ACM News
Only Humans Can Be Accountable For AI
Joanna Bryson is one of the few computer scientists who are experts in both artificial intelligence and natural intelligence.
From ACM TechNews
Hackers Use a Photograph of a Fingerprint to Bypass Phone Security
A group of researchers claim to have developed a method for bypassing biometric security on smartphones using photographs of fingerprints.
From ACM TechNews
European Cloud Project Draws Backlash From U.S. Tech Giants
Germany and France are launching a government-backed project to develop European cloud infrastructure, to help local providers compete with U.S. technology companies.
From ACM TechNews
AI Tool Detects Global Fashion Trends
A new artificial intelligence tool scans millions of publicly available photos to effectively identify fashion trends around the world, as well as traditions and events with signature styles.