Communications of the ACM
Generative AI Degrades Online Communities
How large language models are influencing online communities.
From ACM Opinion
Why Google Is Willing to Give Away Its Latest Machine-Learning Software
Google's move to give away its latest machine-learning software, key to its speech- and photo-recognition programs, isn’t as crazy as it may appear.
From ACM Opinion
The Myth of Basic Science
Innovation is a mysteriously difficult thing to dictate. Technology seems to change by a sort of inexorable, evolutionary progress, which we probably cannot stop—or...
From ACM Opinion
What Celebrities Can Teach Companies About Social Media
Let's face it: Corporate America's social presence could use a celebrity makeover.
From ACM Opinion
Review: Littlebits Makes Robot Building Easier For Junior Engineers
In the recent surge of electronic building toys, my early favorite was LittleBits. The individual pieces each have a specific job, and they magnetically interlock...
From ACM Opinion
Pluto Is Just a Baby Step For Humankind
As it advances now beyond Pluto, the New Horizons spacecraft is sending back data from its historic encounter with the dwarf planet like a long sigh of relief.
From ACM Opinion
Sean Parker: Philanthropy For Hackers
In the past several decades, there has been a monumental shift in the distribution of wealth on the planet.
From ACM Opinion
A Social Network For Talkers
No group needs social network software more than the elderly.
From ACM Opinion
The Culture Wars Invade Science Fiction
Theodore Beale had a big day when the nominations for science fiction's annual Hugo Awards were announced last month: He received two nominations for his editing...
From ACM News
Brace Yourself: Microsoft Wants to Guess How Old You Are
Like a distant relative who makes you feel bad at the annual holiday get together, Microsoft has created a website that analyzes a photo of a person's face and...
From ACM Opinion
The Future of Sex: It Gets Better
When I was 10 years old, my friend Sarah and I found a newly minted copy of "The Joy of Sex" under her parents' bed.
From ACM Opinion
The Fbi's Stance on Encrypted Communications
Imagine an America where federal, state, and municipal law enforcement agencies cannot access critical communications, even when legally authorized to do so.
From ACM Opinion
New Laws For New Threats Like Drones and Bioterrorism
You walk into your shower and see a spider.
From ACM Opinion
The 12 Tech Nuisances That Annoy s Most
You know those days when your phone battery doesn't even make it to dinner?
From ACM Opinion
Get Creative at Your Desk With a Little Playtime
Playing with a geometric puzzle or stress ball at your desk can seem like idle diversion. It may also spark clearer or more creative thinking.
From ACM Opinion
Invasion of the Friendly Movie Robots
Robots are becoming more of a reality in everyday life, and movies have started to overhaul their depiction of them. They're gentler, friendlier, and often better...
From ACM Opinion
Bitcoin and the Digital-Currency Revolution
About a half-billion dollars worth of it vanished from an online exchange in Tokyo.
From ACM Opinion
What the World Will Speak in 2115
In 1880 a Bavarian priest created a language that he hoped the whole world could use.
From ACM Opinion