Communications of the ACM
The opinion archive provides access to past opinion stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
June 2022
From ACM Opinion
Who Is Liable when AI Kills?
We need to change rules and institutions while still promoting innovation to protect people from faulty AI.
From ACM Opinion
'Video Games Are for Boys'
Hopscotch app co-founder Samantha John discusses her journey from avoiding video games to helping kids create them.
From ACM Opinion
Quantifying Computing Power and Innovation
Rapid increases in chip speed and power have fueled innovation in many industries, but the future trajectory of that progress may be in jeopardy.
From ACM Opinion
Tech Cos. Silent on Data Privacy since Roe v. Wade Reversal
Tech companies must, at the very least, communicate policies and practices to consumers.
From ACM Opinion
Yann LeCun's Bold New Vision for the Future of AI
One of deep learning's godfathers pulls together old ideas to sketch out a fresh path for AI.
From ACM Opinion
Semiconductor Dependency Imperils American Security
The U.S. Innovation and Competition Act is only the first step in preventing Chinese dominance.
From ACM Opinion
The Computer Scientist Who Parlays Failures into Breakthroughs
An interview with Yale University Sterling Professor of Computer Science Daniel Spielman.
From ACM Opinion
Intro to Model-Free and Model-Based Reinforcement Learning
Neuroscientist and author Daeyeol Lee talks reinforcement learning in humans and animals, AI and natural intelligence, and more.
From ACM Opinion
Testing in Python with pytest
Software engineer discusses the popularity and use of pytest for Python testing.
From ACM Opinion
Musk Will Take Questions from Twitter Employees—Twitter Should Answer His
The company risks losing the trust of users and investors if it does not tackle the issue of bots, spam, and fake accounts.
From ACM Opinion
Crypto Is Crashing Again but Blockchain Will Survive
The practical, real-world work of developing blockchain technology will keep on going, independent of market histrionics.
From ACM Opinion
'Sentience' Is the Wrong Discussion to Have on AI Right Now
A more important conversation would be one about human compatibility and trust.
From ACM Opinion
Google's 'Sentient' Chatbot Is Our Self-Deceiving Future
The next generation of AI will put the pathetic fallacy on steroids.
From ACM Opinion
Science Needs to Shrink Its Carbon Footprint
Greenhouse gas emissions from research damage the climate.
From ACM Opinion
Human-Like Programs Abuse Our Empathy
It is easy to be fooled by the mimicry, but consumers need transparency about how such systems are used.
From ACM Opinion
It's Time for AI to Retire the Turing Test
The Turing Test's most troubling legacy is an ethical one: It is fundamentally about deception.
From ACM Opinion
'AI Is Invisible'
Wendy Hall, computer scientist and acting chair of the AI Council, talks about challenging perceptions around AI.
From ACM Opinion
Why Are So Many Big Tech Whistleblowers Women?
Here is what the research shows.
From ACM Opinion
Lina Khan, a Big Tech Critic, Tries Answering Detractors
In an interview, the FTC chair lays out some of her plans now that she has a Democratic majority at the agency.
From ACM Opinion
How Smarter AI Will Change Creativity
The promise and perils of a breakthrough in machine intelligence.
From ACM Opinion
Why Robots Need to See
Cameras and vision-based perception will increasingly serve as the technological underpinning for mobile robots going forward.
From ACM Opinion
AI Is Ushering In a New Scientific Revolution
AI is transforming the scientific process, automating and adding to what people can accomplish using it.
From ACM Opinion
Teaching Robots to Help People in Their Everyday Lives
An interview with Max Braun of Everyday Robots.
From ACM Opinion
Political Affiliation Influences Our Fear of Data Collection
It's not government Americans don't trust with their data; it's the opposite political party.
From ACM Opinion
Why Science Needs More Research Software Engineers
Ten years after their profession got its name, research software engineers seek to swell their ranks.
From ACM Opinion
Artificial General Intelligence Is Not as Imminent as You Might Think
A close look reveals that the newest systems, including DeepMind's much-hyped Gato, are still stymied by the same old problems.
From ACM Opinion
Democracy Deserves Better Algorithms
Big Tech could deploy any number of solutions to slow the spread of disinformation, with the most promising being to fix the algorithms.
From ACM Opinion
What Is So Great about Quantum Computing?
A Q&A with NIST theorist Alexey Gorshkov.
From Communications of the ACM
Involvement and Detachment
How detachment from your community blocks your success at leading innovations, and what to do about it.
From Communications of the ACM
Toward Total-System Trustworthiness
Considering how to achieve the long-term goal to systemically reduce risks.