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Hacking the Brain
From ACM Opinion

Hacking the Brain

The perfectibility of the human mind is a theme that has captured our imagination for centuries—the notion that, with the right tools, the right approach, the right...

5 Ways We Must Regulate Drones at the ­.s. Border
From ACM Opinion

5 Ways We Must Regulate Drones at the ­.s. Border

Border patrol agents have Predator drones at their disposal, and using them has the potential to become a serious breach of privacy — but it also could be a terrific...

'rise of the Robots' and 'shadow Work'
From ACM Opinion

'rise of the Robots' and 'shadow Work'

In the late 20th century, while the blue-collar working class gave way to the forces of globalization and automation, the educated elite looked on with benign condescension...

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...

The Future of Sex: It Gets Better
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.

Meet the Bots
From ACM Opinion

Meet the Bots

The day that science fiction writers have feared for so long has finally come—the machines have risen up.

Karen, an App That Knows You All Too Well
From ACM Opinion

Karen, an App That Knows You All Too Well

Thinking about a life coach but not ready to commit to the real thing?

Germanwings Flight 9525, Technology, and the Question of Trust
From ACM Opinion

Germanwings Flight 9525, Technology, and the Question of Trust

Shortly before the dreadful crash of Germanwings Flight 9525, I happened to be reading part of "The Second Machine Age," a book by two academics at M.I.T., Erik...

Mathematicians of the Future?
From ACM Opinion

Mathematicians of the Future?

Herbert Simon, the Nobel-prize winning economist, was a techno-enthusiast. In 1956 he predicted that, "within 10 years, computers would beat the world chess champion...

Love in the Time of Bots
From ACM Opinion

Love in the Time of Bots

Convincing people to have a romantic relationship with a computer might be easier than it sounds.

Teaching Robots to Be Moral
From ACM Opinion

Teaching Robots to Be Moral

"Chappie," the highest-grossing movie in America last weekend, is, to put it mildly, not a great film; the critics have given it a twenty-nine on Rotten Tomatoes...

If an Algorithm Wrote This, How Would You Even Know?
From ACM Opinion

If an Algorithm Wrote This, How Would You Even Know?

Let me hazard a guess that you think a real person has written what you're reading. Maybe you're right. Maybe not.

Invasion of the Friendly Movie Robots
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...

Outing A.I.: Beyond the Turing Test
From ACM Opinion

Outing A.I.: Beyond the Turing Test

Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) is having a moment, albeit one marked by crucial ambiguities.

A Plunge and Squish View of the Mind
From ACM Opinion

A Plunge and Squish View of the Mind

How can we bring our knowledge to bear on a problem?

What 'the Imitation Game' Didn't Tell You About Turing's Greatest Triumph
From ACM Opinion

What 'the Imitation Game' Didn't Tell You About Turing's Greatest Triumph

Freeman Dyson, 91, the famed physicist, author and oracle of human destiny, is holding forth after tea-time one February afternoon in the common room of the Institute...

The Robot That Knows When to Swipe Right
From ACM Opinion

The Robot That Knows When to Swipe Right

I have come to think of Tinder as a sort algorithm for the mind.

Work in an Age of Robots
From ACM Opinion

Work in an Age of Robots

What you are about to read was written by a human. Honest.

The Future of Virtual Sex
From ACM Opinion

The Future of Virtual Sex

Is another human being necessary for satisfying sex?

Google, Mighty Now, but Not Forever
From ACM Opinion

Google, Mighty Now, but Not Forever

Technology giants often meet their end not with a bang but a whimper, a slow, imperceptible descent into irrelevancy that may not immediately be reflected in the...
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