Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
January 2023
From ACM News
Building a New Type of Efficient Artificial Intelligence Inspired by the Brain
Although the brain's architecture is very shallow, brain-inspired artificial neural networks' learning capabilities can outperform deep learning.
From ACM News
Roboticists Want to Give You a Third Arm
Unused bandwidth in neurons can be tapped to control extra limbs.
From ACM TechNews
Israelis, Germans Bring Yad Vashem Museum to Minecraft
Israeli engineers and German gamers partnered to build an accurate virtual model of Jerusalem's Yad Vashem Museum and an educational exhibition in the online gameworld of Minecraft.
From ACM TechNews
Virtual Exam Case Primes Privacy Fight Over College Room Scans
Cleveland State University asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit to review a district court ruling that "room scans" by exam proctoring software amount to unconstitutional searches.
From ACM TechNews
AI Model Can Detect Future Lung Cancer Risk
A new artificial intelligence tool can perform lung cancer risk assessments without the help of a radiologist.
From ACM News
Why the Simplex Method, at Age 75, is Still the Go-To Algorithm
Daniel A. Spielman and colleague Shang-hua Teng solved the mystery of the Simplex Method using a technique called smoothed analysis.
From ACM News
Researchers Discover That Electrons Play a Surprising Role in Heat Transfer Between Layers of Semiconductors
An electronic bridge facilitates the fast transfer of energy between semiconductors.
From ACM News
The Race of the AI Labs Heats Up
ChatGPT is not the only game in town.
From ACM News
New Analog Quantum Computers to Solve Previously Unsolvable Problems
The architecture for these new quantum devices involves hybrid metal-semiconductor components incorporated into a nanoelectronic circuit
From ACM TechNews
Israel Opens First 'Smart Operating Room' That Manages Inventory
The Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya, Israel, has opened a "smart room" for the management of inventory in operating rooms.
From ACM TechNews
ChatGPT Finding, Fixing Bugs in Code
Computer science researchers found the ChatGPT chatbot can detect and correct buggy code better than existing programs.
From ACM TechNews
Will the Metaverse Be Entertaining? Ask South Korea
South Korea's entertainment industry is producing virtual content as a gateway into the metaverse.
From ACM News
This 22-Year-Old is Trying to Save Us from ChatGPT Before it Changes Writing Forever
Tian says he has a couple primary motivations for creating GPTZero. The first is transparency. "Humans deserve to know when something is written by a human or written by a machine," he says.
From ACM News
Japan, Netherlands Agree to Limit Exports of Chip-Making Equipment to China
Deal with U.S. comes as President Biden seeks to slow China's military development.
From ACM News
University of Texas Will Offer Large-Scale Online Master's Degree in A.I.
Amid a boom in new tools like ChatGPT, the Austin campus plans to train thousands of students in sought-after skills in artificial intelligence.
From ACM News
AI Passes U.S. Medical Licensing Exam
Two papers show that large language models, including ChatGPT, can pass the USMLE.
From ACM TechNews
Stacking Turns Organic Transistors Up
Scientists in the U.S. and China have adopted a vertical framework to produce high-performance organic electrochemical transistors.
From ACM TechNews
Tennessee High School Students Build Robotic Hand for Classmate
Students at Henderson high school in Tennessee constructed a robotic hand for classmate Sergio Peralta, whose right hand was not fully formed.
From ACM TechNews
ACM TechBrief: Policies Needed for Safer Algorithmic Systems
A TechBrief released by ACM's global Technology Policy Council warns the spread of algorithmic systems carries with it unaddressed risks.
From ACM News
Department of Justice Takes Down Hive, a Major Ransomware Group
The DOJ said it stopped victims, including hospitals, schools and infrastructure operators worldwide, from paying $130 million in ransom.
From ACM News
Startup's Plans for Robot Lawyer Nixed After CEO Threatened With Jail
"...it seems likely they will put me in jail for 6 months if I follow through with bringing a robot lawyer into a physical courtroom."
From ACM News
RSA's Demise from Quantum Attacks is Very Much Exaggerated, Expert Says
Simson Garfinkel says the focus on quantum attacks may distract us from more immediate threats.
From ACM TechNews
Learning to Lie: AI Tools Adept at Creating Disinformation
Researchers at NewsGuard, which monitors and studies online misinformation, found that OpenAI's online chatbot ChatGPT can be used to generate propaganda and misinformation.
From ACM TechNews
An Unprecedented Look at Colorectal Cancer
Researchers at Harvard Medical School created large-scale two-dimensional and three-dimensional spatial maps of colorectal cancer that layer molecular information on top of histological features.
From ACM TechNews
Assigning Workplaces in Synthetic Populations
Researchers have developed a technique for assigning workplaces to individuals in synthetic populations.
From ACM TechNews
Color Images from the Shadow of a Sample
Researchers at Göttingen University have developed a new method for X-ray color imaging.
From ACM News
Leaked Police Files Offer Clues on How Cops Use Data Firms
Data allegedly from ODIN Intelligence illuminates its software and customers. The company says it's working with law enforcement to investigate.
From ACM News
U.S. Intelligence Wants to Use Psychology to Avert Cyberattacks
IARPA scientists are taking up the nascent field of cyber psychology to predict and counter hacker behavior.
From ACM News
Optical AI Could Feed Voracious Data Needs
To power the 3D-printed, multiplexing system, just shine light on it.
From ACM News
What Caused Wednesday Morning's Microsoft Outage?
Service was impacted in the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa, however, China was unaffected, per CNN.