Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
September 2020
From ACM TechNews
People's Notions About AI Are Terrible, an MIT Study Asks Whether They Can Be Helped
Researchers surveyed several hundred people to determine whether they view artificial intelligence as an agent or a tool.
From ACM News
We’re Not Ready for AI, Says Winner of New $1-Million AI Prize
Regina Barzilay, the first winner of the Squirrel AI Award, on why the pandemic should be a wake-up call.
From ACM TechNews
When AI Is the Opposite of Sinister: MIT Researcher Is Held Up as Model of How Algorithms Can Benefit Humanity
The Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence named artificial intelligence researcher Regina Barzilay the first recipient of its new award for those developing or promoting AI for the benefit of society.
From ACM TechNews
Twitter Apologizes for 'Racist' Image-Cropping Algorithm
Twitter has issued an apology for an image-cropping algorithm deemed racist after users found it would automatically focus on white faces over black ones.
From ACM TechNews
This Raspberry Pi-Powered AI Helps Robots to Sort Through Your Recycling
Researchers at Liverpool Hope University in the U.K. created a tool that can sort materials for recycling by combining a Raspberry Pi 3 model with optical sensors and computer vision algorithms.
From ACM TechNews
Stanford-Developed Software Enables Musicians to Jam Together Again in Real Time
A free, open source software package enables real-time sound streaming, allowing musicians to perform together online in real time.
From ACM TechNews
UW Researchers Hone Computer Models to Identify Animals in Photos
Computer models developed by researchers at the University of Wyoming use artificial intelligence to identify images of wild animals in camera-trap photographs.
From ACM TechNews
Cyber Threat to Disrupt Start of U.K. University Term
The U.K.'s National Cyber Security Center is warning colleges and universities that increasing numbers of cyberattacks threaten to disrupt the start of the Fall term.
From ACM News
'A Very Exciting Time to be at the Helm'
A conversation with U.S. National Science Foundation director Sethuraman Panchanathan.
From ACM News
If We Put Computers in Our Brains, Strange Things Might Happen to Our Minds
Using a brain-computer interface can fundamentally change our grey matter, a view of ourselves, and even how fast our brains can change the world.
From ACM News
179 Arrested in Massive Global Dark Web Takedown
Operation Disruptor is an unprecedented international law enforcement effort, stemming from last year's seizure of a popular underground bazaar called Wall Street Market.
From ACM TechNews
CISA: Chinese State Hackers Are Exploiting F5, Citrix, Pulse Secure, Exchange Bugs
An advisory from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) warns of attacks against U.S. federal networks by hacker groups associated with China's Ministry of State Security over the past year.
From ACM TechNews
Tesco to Trial Drone Delivery Service
U.K. grocery chain Tesco next month will start trialing a drone delivery service in Ireland's County Galway, using unmanned aerial vehicles from Manna to deliver goods to customers of Tesco's Oranmore outlet.
From ACM TechNews
Computational Modeling Explains Why Blues, Greens Are Brightest Colors in Nature
Researchers at the U.K.'s University of Cambridge have demonstrated via computational modeling why blue and green are the most vivid natural hues.
From ACM News
Bulletproofing RISC-V Cores
The RISC-V open standard instruction-set architecture can improve cybersecurity.
From ACM TechNews
Singapore to Pay Citizens for Keeping Healthy with Apple Watch
Apple and Singapore's government have partnered on the two-year LumiHealth initiative, which will monitor and reward user behavior via the Apple Watch and an iPhone application.
From ACM TechNews
Woman Becomes First Healthcare Cyberattack Death
A woman in Germany suffering a life-threatening illness was the first person to die from a cyberattack on a healthcare system.
From ACM TechNews
Glove-Like Device Mimics Sense of Touch
A soft wearable device developed by engineers at the University of New South Wales Sydney in Australia recreates the sense of touch using haptic technology.
From ACM TechNews
Accident Prevention Software for Autonomous Vehicles
Researchers at Germany's Technical University of Munich say they have created accident-preventing software for autonomous vehicles that anticipates variations of traffic scenarios.
From ACM TechNews
Majority of Europeans Would Consider Human Augmentation, Study Finds
A survey of more than 14,000 people in 16 countries found most Europeans would consider technological augmentation to their bodies.
From ACM TechNews
European Commission Invests €8 Billion in Supercomputing
The European Commission is boosting its commitment under the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking with a planned €8-billion ($9.4-billion) infusion into developing European supercomputing leadership and digital sovereignty.
From ACM News
Huang's Law Is the New Moore's Law, and Explains Why Nvidia Wants Arm
The rule that the same dollar buys twice the computing power every 18 months is no longer true, but a new law—which we named for the CEO of Nvidia, the company now most emblematic of commercial AI—is in full effect.
From ACM TechNews
IBM Establishes First Quantum Education, Research Initiative for Historically Black Colleges, Universities
IBM announced its first IBM Quantum education and research initiative for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), led by Howard University and 12 other HBCUs.
From ACM TechNews
Data Processing Module Makes Deep Neural Networks Smarter
Researchers have enhanced deep neural network performance by integrating feature normalization and feature attention modules into a hybrid attentive normalization module.
From ACM TechNews
The Phish Scale: NIST-Developed Method Helps IT Staff See Why Users Click on Fraudulent Emails
The Phish Scale could help organizations better train their employees to avoid being deceived by seemingly trustworthy emails.
From ACM TechNews
Police Drones Take to U.K. Skies
U.K. police agencies are trying out the use of aerial drones to support ground-based forces in scenarios where helicopter or aircraft deployments may be less practical.
From ACM TechNews
Smart Transportation Systems Need to Reckon with Rogues
Arizona State University engineers have come up with an algorithm that manages autonomous vehicle traffic through intersections safely, under real-life conditions.
From ACM TechNews
Automated Mobility District 'Digital Twin' Provides Insights for Urban Transportation Systems
Researchers have developed a modeling and simulation toolkit to help researchers and city planners determine the specific advantages and disadvantages of urban transportation systems.
From ACM News
This Unheard Steve Jobs Tape is Part of an Amazing Trove of Tech History
When Steve Jobs demoed his NeXT computer at a 1988 user meeting, Charles Mann was there to record it—along with dozens of other talks by computing pioneers.
From ACM TechNews
Genetic Analysis Method Could Advance Personal Genomics
The laboratory ofJohns Hopkins University's Alexis Battle developed software that could help identify more causes of genetic disorders, especially when used with expanded genetic sequencing.