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What's Behind China's Space Programme Expansion
From ACM Opinion

What's Behind China's Space Programme Expansion

China is a relative late-bloomer when it comes to the world of space exploration. But just 15 years after it first sent an astronaut into orbit, China has become...

Fake News: Can Teenagers Spot It?
From ACM Opinion

Fake News: Can Teenagers Spot It?

If we are to make it less of a threat to democracy, that effort is going to need to start in schools.

Will AI and Blockchain Be Game-Changers?
From ACM Opinion

Will AI and Blockchain Be Game-Changers?

This week saw another major achievement by Google's Deep Mind, when it showed that a neural network could learn to play Go in just three days, without even looking...

Why Video Games Are Obsessed With the Apocalypse
From ACM Opinion

Why Video Games Are Obsessed With the Apocalypse

Video games are, in a way, the perfect medium through which to depict the post-apocalypse. If we assume that after the collapse of civilisation everyone will revert...

Tracking Terrorists Online Might Invade Your Privacy
From ACM Opinion

Tracking Terrorists Online Might Invade Your Privacy

Remember that picture you sent to your family of your children playing in the paddling pool? Or that private text you sent to someone trusted? Or when you searched...

Why the Biggest Challenge Facing AI Is an Ethical One
From ACM Opinion

Why the Biggest Challenge Facing AI Is an Ethical One

Artificial intelligence is everywhere and it's here to stay.

What If the Internet Stopped Working For a Day?
From ACM Opinion

What If the Internet Stopped Working For a Day?

Jeff Hancock likes to give his Stanford University students weekend assignments that let them experience concepts discussed in class for themselves.

If We Made Contact with Aliens, How Would Religions React?
From ACM Opinion

If We Made Contact with Aliens, How Would Religions React?

In 2014, Nasa awarded $1.1M to the Center for Theological Inquiry, an ecumenical research institute in New Jersey, to study “the societal implications of astrobiology”...

The New Words That Expose Our Smartphone Obsessions
From ACM Opinion

The New Words That Expose Our Smartphone Obsessions

New words sometimes skewer a trend so perfectly you wonder how you survived without them. One of the most delightfully apt new phrases I've found in the last few...

Facebook Fake News Row: Mark Zuckerberg Is a Politician Now
From ACM Opinion

Facebook Fake News Row: Mark Zuckerberg Is a Politician Now

I've long suspected that Mark Zuckerberg, who often refers to himself as the "leader" of Facebook, has dreams of high office.

Would It Be Ethical to Implant False Memories in Therapy?
From ACM Opinion

Would It Be Ethical to Implant False Memories in Therapy?

Take a moment to remember an event that you experienced as a child.

What If the Aliens We Are Looking For Are Ai?
From ACM Opinion

What If the Aliens We Are Looking For Are Ai?

For more than a century we have been broadcasting our presence to the cosmos.

The Secret Signals That Rule Transport Networks
From ACM Opinion

The Secret Signals That Rule Transport Networks

It is early morning on Brighton beach, and we are sitting on a slope of pebbles, looking out to sea.

Making AI Work in the Real World
From ACM Opinion

Making AI Work in the Real World

Until recently, AI seemed firmly stuck in the realm of science fiction.

The Truth About the Turing Test
From ACM Opinion

The Truth About the Turing Test

Alan Turing made many predictions about artificial intelligence, but one of his lesser known may sound familiar to those who have heard Stephen Hawking or Elon...

How Worried Should You Be About Artificial Intelligence?
From ACM Opinion

How Worried Should You Be About Artificial Intelligence?

Intelligent machines come in myriad forms, so which ones pose a danger to us, and how likely are they to actually happen?

Is Facial Recognition Tech Really a Threat to Privacy?
From ACM Opinion

Is Facial Recognition Tech Really a Threat to Privacy?

Facebook has decided not to offer its photo-sharing app Moments in Europe because of regulator concerns over its facial recognition technology.

Will We Ever… Speak Faster Than Light Speed?
From ACM Opinion

Will We Ever… Speak Faster Than Light Speed?

Light travels so fast it can make the transatlantic journey between London and New York more than 50 times each second. With speed like that, you might wonder why...

The Disastrous Events That Would Break the Internet
From ACM Opinion

The Disastrous Events That Would Break the Internet

The Internet is unbreakable. At least, we think it is.

The Paradox of Popping Back in Time
From ACM Opinion

The Paradox of Popping Back in Time

Here we go again.
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