Communications of the ACM
The opinion archive provides access to past opinion stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
October 2017
From ACM Opinion
Author Franklin Foer on Controlling the Power of Big Tech
Franklin Foer is the author of World Without Mind: The Existential Threat of Big Tech, a critique of the power held by the big tech companies, and the way it is used in our lives. He discusses the book in an interview.
From ACM Opinion
China's AI Awakening
On a tropical island that marks the southern tip of China, a computer program called Lengpudashi is playing one-on-one poker against a dozen people at once, and it's absolutely crushing them.
From ACM Opinion
Why Is There No Nobel Prize in Technology?
As the world focuses its attention on this year's recipients of the planet's most prestigious prize, the Nobel, it feels like something's missing from the list: technology.
From ACM Opinion
Algorithms Have Already Gone Rogue
For more than two decades, Tim O'Reilly has been the conscience of the tech industry.
From ACM Opinion
Hey Professor: Jim H. Waldo
Computer Science Professor James "Jim" H. Waldo discusses privacy and technology in society today.
From ACM Opinion
How the Chinese Cyberthreat Has evolved
With more than half of its 1.4 billion people online, the world's most populous country is home to a slew of cyberspies and hackers.
From ACM Opinion
Let's se the Government's Massive Databases to Make Better Policy
Members of the Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking appear before Congress this week to present their final report (pdf).
From ACM Opinion
The Absurdity of the Nobel Prizes in Science
The fact that the Nobel Prizes awarded in science have drawn controversy since their very inception hints at deep-rooted problems. The Nobels reward individuals — three at most, for each of the scientific prizes, in any given…
From ACM Opinion
How China Is Catching p To A .s. Science & Tech Sector ncertain Of Its Future
While the U.S. remains the global leader in Science and Technology, there is little doubt that its star is fading.
From ACM Opinion
Misinformation Is the New Normal of Mass Shootings
On the morning after the deadliest shooting in modern American history, there was a certain predictability in the response to a tragedy that left at least 59 dead and another 527 wounded on the Las Vegas Strip.
From ACM Opinion
Forget Killer Robots; Bias Is the Real AI Danger
Google's AI chief isn't fretting about super-intelligent killer robots. Instead, John Giannandrea is concerned about the danger that may be lurking inside the machine-learning algorithms used to make millions of decisions every…
From ACM Opinion
Trump Is Making Canada Great Again
It's no secret that the United States has long dominated cutting-edge technologies, from personal computers and biotech to smartphones and social media.
From Communications of the ACM
Amazon and Whole Foods: Follow the Strategy (and the Money)
Checking out the recent Amazon acquisition of Whole Foods.
From Communications of the ACM
IoT: The Internet of Terror
If it seems like the sky is falling, that's because it is.
From Communications of the ACM
What Can Agile Methods Bring to High-Integrity Software Development?
Considering the issues and opportunities raised by Agile practices in the development of high-integrity software.
From Communications of the ACM
The Real Risks of Artificial Intelligence
Incidents from the early days of AI research are instructive in the current AI environment.
From Communications of the ACM
Fintech Platforms and Strategy
Integrating trust and automation in finance.