Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
January 2020
From ACM TechNews
Seeking Tech Talent, Companies Kickstart Apprenticeship Programs
Companies are launching apprenticeship programs to recruit nontraditional staff for entry-level positions in the midst of a technology talent shortage.
From ACM TechNews
Virtual Assistants Provide Disappointing Advice When Asked for First Aid, Emergency Information: Study
Researchers have found the major virtual assistants do not live up to their potential in terms of providing users with reliable, relevant information on medical emergencies.
From ACM TechNews
Digital Twins Give Urban Planners Virtual Edge
Digital twins give urban planners, policymakers, resource managers, asset owners, and citizens more dynamic tools and information about their smart cities.
From ACM TechNews
Illinois Law Gives Candidates Rights to Understand How Employers Use Algorithms to Rate Job Interviewees
A new law in Illinois aims to give job candidates a better understanding of how companies use artificial intelligence to screen video interviews.
From ACM TechNews
DC Water Taps AI for Sewer Line Assessments
A new algorithm helps Washington, D.C., sewer pipe technicians obtain a more-accurate picture of what is happening in the network of pipes running beneath the city.
From ACM News
Intel and Softbank Beware: Open Source Coming for Chips
Opening up part of the chipmaking process could jostle the industry.
From ACM News
Ginni Rometty to Step Down as C.E.O. of IBM
Arvind Krishna, who has led the company's cloud computing business, was named the new chief executive.
From ACM TechNews
Critical Flaw Demonstrated in Common Digital Security Algorithm
Researchers have demonstrated a security flaw in the widely used SHA-1 security algorithm that would allow bad actors to fake files and the information within them, and make them look authentic.
From ACM TechNews
CT Scans, 3D Printing Give Voice to Mummified Priest
Researchers in the U.K. used computed tomography scanning and a three-dimensionally-printed larynx to reproduce the sound from the vocal tract of a 3,000-year-old mummified priest.
From ACM TechNews
IBM's Debating AI Just Got a Lot Closer to Being a Useful Tool
IBM upgraded the neural networks of its Project Debater system to improve the quality of evidence the argument-mining system uncovers.
From ACM News
Soft, Sensitive, and Smart
The future of robotic skin.
From ACM News
Top ACM TechNews articles of 2019
One of the most popular topics among the 10 most-clicked-on items in ACM TechNews during 2019 was, once again, programming and programming languages.
From ACM TechNews
Intel Patching the Patch for the Patch for 'Zombieload' Flaw
Intel said it will release yet another patch for a microarchitectural data sampling vulnerability that allows hackers to fool microprocessors into exposing protected data.
From ACM TechNews
Next Generation of Organ-on-Chip Has Arrived
Researchers have met the U.S. DARPA challenge to create next-generation organ-on-a-chip models.
From ACM TechNews
Scientists Try to Help Congress Get Smarter About Tech
Government scientists and technologists are trying to help U.S. lawmakers become more technology-savvy.
From ACM TechNews
Deepfake Software Translates Videos from One Language to Another
New software automatically translates a video of a person speaking in one language into another language, while matching their lip movements to the new words.
From ACM TechNews
Man Diagnosed with Wuhan Coronavirus Is Being Treated Largely by a Robot
The first person diagnosed with the Wuhan coronavirus in the U.S. is being treated with the help of a robot at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, WA.
From ACM TechNews
Melinda Gates' Nonprofit Launches $50M Initiative to Increase Representation of Women in Tech Hubs
Pivotal Ventures has announced a $50-million project designed to transform tech hubs into more inclusive places for women.
From ACM TechNews
Can I Mix Those Chemicals? There's an App for That!
A new open source computer program can advise users to prevent the mixture of incompatible chemicals.
From ACM TechNews
The Easy Route the Easy Way: Chip Calculates the Shortest Distance in an Instant
A new chip uses special components to calculate the possible shortest distance to traverse up to 22 cities in a short period of time.
From ACM TechNews
Facebook Speeds Up AI Training by Culling the Weak
Facebook engineers have accelerated the training of artificial intelligence (AI) agents by eliminating laggards.
From ACM News
Foiling IoT Hackers
Cybersecurity specialists are working to head off hackers trying to use the Internet of Things as their gateway into smart homes.
From ACM TechNews
Scientists Unraveling Chinese Coronavirus with Unprecedented Speed, Openness
Chinese scientists freely released the genetic sequence of a coronavirus 10 days after the first reported case, to help researchers worldwide better understand and combat the pathogen.
From ACM TechNews
Met Police to Use Live Facial Recognition Cameras in London
London's Metropolitan Police next month will deploy computer-linked live facial recognition cameras on city streets.
From ACM TechNews
A $100 Million Bet That Vacationland Can Be a Tech Hub, Too
Portland, ME, has unveiled a technology research institute which local officials hope will drive the local economy.
From ACM TechNews
California OKs Highly Questioned L.A. County Voting System
California secretary of state Alex Padilla has approved Los Angeles County's new computerized voting system, but is demanding modifications to address security and other technical issues.
From ACM TechNews
ACM Signs Open Access Agreements with Leading Universities
ACM has signed new open access agreements with four major institutional clients.
From ACM TechNews
Virginia Schools Steer Students to Computer Science Careers
Virginia school districts are starting to offer high school students dual-enrollment computer science courses that count as credit at local community colleges, to boost their prospects for careers in the field.
From ACM TechNews
Using AI to Enrich Digital Maps
A new artificial intelligence model uses satellite imagery to tag road features in digital maps.
From ACM TechNews
VR Therapy is Taking Paralyzed Veterans to New Places
The St. Louis Veterans Affairs hospital has incorporated virtual reality into its therapy for paralyzed patients, who wear goggles and use joysticks to engage with simulated three-dimensional environments.