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Autonomous Weapons Would Take Warfare to a New Domain, Without Humans
From ACM Opinion

Autonomous Weapons Would Take Warfare to a New Domain, Without Humans

Killer robots have been a staple of TV and movies for decades, from Westworld to The Terminator series. But in the real world, killer robots are officially known...

An Ode to Insignificance: Buttons, Touchscreens, and Other Dangerous Technologies
From ACM Opinion

An Ode to Insignificance: Buttons, Touchscreens, and Other Dangerous Technologies

"The future is already here—it's just not evenly distributed," is an often-quoted line from the brilliant science-fiction writer William Gibson.

Computational Propaganda: Bots, Targeting, and the Future
From ACM Opinion

Computational Propaganda: Bots, Targeting, and the Future

A long time ago, when I was working on my Ph.D. research, I learned to use supercomputers to track the complex 3-D motions of gas blown into space by dying stars...

Learning to Spot Fake News: Start with a Gut Check
From ACM Opinion

Learning to Spot Fake News: Start with a Gut Check

Which of these statements seems more trustworthy to you?

Will Algorithms Erode Our Decision-Making Skills?
From ACM Opinion

Will Algorithms Erode Our Decision-Making Skills?

Algorithms are embedded into our technological lives, helping accomplish a variety of tasks like making sure that email makes it to your aunt or that you're matched...

Before Apple And Facebook, There Was Something More Revolutionary
From ACM Opinion

Before Apple And Facebook, There Was Something More Revolutionary

It's easy to think that the modern era in communication began in the 1990s with the birth of the Internet.

Remembering a Thinker Who Thought About Thinking
From ACM Opinion

Remembering a Thinker Who Thought About Thinking

The field of educational technology is mourning a visionary whose work was considered 50 years ahead of its time.

If To Err Is Human, Should Technology Help ­s Shed Some Humanity?
From ACM Opinion

If To Err Is Human, Should Technology Help ­s Shed Some Humanity?

By all accounts, technology has made us safer.

An Npr Reporter Raced a Machine to Write a News Story. Who Won?
From ACM Opinion

An Npr Reporter Raced a Machine to Write a News Story. Who Won?

Even the most creative jobs have parts that are pretty routine—tasks that, at least in theory, can be done by a machine. Take, for example, being a reporter.

As Congress Haggles Over Patriot Act, We Answer 6 Basic Questions
From ACM Opinion

As Congress Haggles Over Patriot Act, We Answer 6 Basic Questions

The rest of the month is setting up to be pretty dramatic in the Senate.

Are We to Become Gods, the Destroyers of Our World?
From ACM Opinion

Are We to Become Gods, the Destroyers of Our World?

In the stylish new sci-fi thriller Ex Machina, Frankenstein's old theme re-emerges in a beautifully designed setting: Instead of the Gothic castle we have a spectacular...

What If Web Search Results Were Based on Accuracy?
From ACM Opinion

What If Web Search Results Were Based on Accuracy?

Imagine, for a moment, that every Web search gave only accurate, verified information.

The World Loves the Smartphone. So How About a Smart Home?
From ACM Opinion

The World Loves the Smartphone. So How About a Smart Home?

My coffee maker is texting me again. It's scheduled to make coffee tomorrow, the message says, but I need to refill its water tank.

The Turing Test Is Not What You Think It Is
From ACM Opinion

The Turing Test Is Not What You Think It Is

Whether or not you caught wind of the excited announcement that "Eugene Goostman," a computer program ("chatbot") devised by Vladimir Veselov, Eugene Demchenko,...

Your Digital Trail, And How It Can Be ­sed Against You
From ACM News

Your Digital Trail, And How It Can Be ­sed Against You

While the collection of private information by the National Security Agency is under scrutiny worldwide, a remarkable amount of your digital trail is also available...

Beyond The Shadows: Apple's Ios 7 Is All About The Screen
From ACM Opinion

Beyond The Shadows: Apple's Ios 7 Is All About The Screen

At some point in the coming weeks, users of Apple iPhones and iPads will wake up to an alert that there is a new version of the company's mobile operating system...

How a Look at Your Gmail Reveals the Power of Metadata
From ACM News

How a Look at Your Gmail Reveals the Power of Metadata

Sometimes you have to give up a little privacy in order to find out how much—or how little—privacy you really have.

Mit's Magic Bag Of Sand
From ACM Opinion

Mit's Magic Bag Of Sand

The camera pushes in. And there, near the meridian line, you see a faint scattering of red lights. Something is in the tar. And it's glowing.

Is Massively Open Online Education a Threat or a Blessing?
From ACM News

Is Massively Open Online Education a Threat or a Blessing?

In fall 2011, Sebastian Thrun, a research professor at Stanford, and Peter Norvig, the top scientist at Google, teamed up to develop and teach a free, online course...

Forget Yolo: Why 'big Data' Should Be the Word of the Year
From ACM Opinion

Forget Yolo: Why 'big Data' Should Be the Word of the Year

"Big Data" hasn't made any of the words-of-the-year lists I've seen so far. That's probably because it didn't get the wide public exposure given to items like "...
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