Communications of the ACM
The opinion archive provides access to past opinion stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
February 2022
From ACM Opinion
Tech Sanctions Won't Sting Russia for a While
Restricting computing equipment sends an important message, but businesses will find ways around the rules
From ACM Opinion
Deep Learning Is a Bad Idea for Security
Deep learning must address some major issues before AI can scale more widely into security applications
From ACM Opinion
Human Autonomy in the Age of AI
Current AI policy recommendations differ on what the risks to human autonomy are
From ACM Opinion
The Rise of Big Tech May Just Be Starting
Largest tech companies seem poised to expand their reach and influence over the rest of the economy, rather than relinquish it
From ACM Opinion
Who Gets to Decide if an AI Is Alive?
We need a Turing Test for consciousness that works for modern AI
From ACM Opinion
China's 5G Soars over America's
In some U.S. cities, 5G is slower than the old 4G system; Washington must make it a priority
From ACM Opinion
Innovation Is Slowing Down—and Big Tech Is to Blame
The great IT revolution is preventing, not promoting, economic dynamism
From ACM Opinion
Andrew Ng Calls for Smart-Sized, 'Data-Centric' Solutions to Big Issues
AI pioneer says he has identified the next big shift in artificial intelligence
From ACM Opinion
The Metaverse Will Require Computing Tech No One Knows How to Build
Experts believe building the metaverse will require nearly every kind of chip to be an order of magnitude more powerful than it is today
From ACM Opinion
Humans and AI: Problem Finders and Problem Solvers
Technologies such as AlphaCode cannot think about and design their own problems, but they are very good problem solvers
From ACM Opinion
Tracing the Evolution of the Computer, from Unusual to Ubiquitous
New book chronicles computer's journey from scientific instrument to general-purpose device
From ACM Opinion
Why a Safe Metaverse Is a Must
Virtual worlds need strong, enforceable rules to avoid the harassment and stalking common on social media platforms
From ACM Opinion
The Inevitability of Trusted Third Parties
The search for a crypto use case continues
From ACM Opinion
The Race to Save the Internet from Quantum Hackers
The quantum computer revolution could break encryption, but more-secure algorithms can safeguard privacy
From ACM Opinion
Supercomputing to Save the Planet
Fujitsu CTO Vivek Mahajan says true power of cloud will come with democratizing HPC and quantum computers for the masses
From ACM Opinion
DeepMind AlphaCode Does Not Compare to Human Programmers
Human programmers are in control but they must learn to harness the power and limits of AI-generated code
From ACM Opinion
Understanding Software Dynamics
In an interview, computer architect Richard L. Sites discusses his new book
From ACM Opinion
Why the Prospect of the IRS Using Facial Recognition Is So Alarming
The U.S. government should put more care and due diligence into its use and advocacy of facial recognition technology
From ACM Opinion
Connecting Large Language Models to Human Values
AI researcher Connor Leahy talks about replicating GPT-2/GPT-3, superhuman AI, AI alignment, AI risk and research norms, and more
From ACM Opinion
Web3 Is the Future, or a Scam, or Both
So what exactly is Web3, and why is everyone in Silicon Valley obsessed with it?
From ACM Opinion
Giving an AI Control of Nuclear Weapons: What Could Go Wrong?
The challenge of autonomous nuclear weapons is a serious one that has received little attention
From ACM Opinion
Peering into the Black Box of Machine-Learning Algorithms
NBC correspondent's new book explores long-term dangers of using "behavior design" to hook users
From ACM Opinion
India's Tech Innovation Engines Must Raise Their Game
Some Indian Institutes of Technology are struggling to establish themselves and must quickly turn things around
From Communications of the ACM
The Lives of Hidden Figures Matter in Computer Science Education
"I cannot work on what I cannot see . . ." —Katherine Goble, Hidden Figures
From Communications of the ACM
I Unplugged What?
The lessons here are broader than just a simple "Don't do that."
From Communications of the ACM
Becoming Universal
A new history of modern computing.
From Communications of the ACM
Data Science Meets Law
Learning Responsible AI together.
From Communications of the ACM
Is Your Autonomous Vehicle as Smart as You Expected?
Suggesting a better route to evaluate autonomous vehicles' smartness.
From Communications of the ACM
A Brave New World of Mediated Online Discourse
Is artificial intelligence up to the task of managing online discourse in social networks?