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Fear of a Robot Planet
From ACM Opinion

Fear of a Robot Planet

It was in the 12th century that the great brass head built by Albertus Magnus moved its mouth for the first time, breathing steam as it spoke to Magnus' young religious...

Editing Human Embryos with Crispr Is Moving Ahead; Now's the Time to Work Out the Ethics
From ACM Opinion

Editing Human Embryos with Crispr Is Moving Ahead; Now's the Time to Work Out the Ethics

The announcement by researchers in Portland, Oregon that they've successfully modified the genetic material of a human embryo took some people by surprise.

Better Business Through Sci-Fi
From ACM Opinion

Better Business Through Sci-Fi

About five years ago, Ari Popper enrolled in a course on science-fiction writing at the University of California, Los Angeles, hoping to distract himself from the...

The Guardian View on the Future of Crime: It Will Be Online
From ACM Opinion

The Guardian View on the Future of Crime: It Will Be Online

When software gets smarter, the first effect is to empower the already powerful.

If You Could 'design' Your Own Child, Would You?
From ACM Opinion

If You Could 'design' Your Own Child, Would You?

Scientists in Portland, Ore., just succeeded in creating the first genetically modified human embryo in the United States, according to Technology Review.

Greetings, E.t. (please Don't Murder ­s.)
From ACM Opinion

Greetings, E.t. (please Don't Murder ­s.)

On Nov. 16, 1974, a few hundred astronomers, government officials and other dignitaries gathered in the tropical forests of Puerto Rico's northwest interior, a...

Zuckerberg and Musk Are Both Wrong About AI
From ACM Opinion

Zuckerberg and Musk Are Both Wrong About AI

Back in 2015, a group of business leaders and scientists published an "open letter" about how controlling artificial superintelligence might be the most urgent...

Metrology Is Key to Reproducing Results
From ACM Opinion

Metrology Is Key to Reproducing Results

Imagine you are a policymaker who needs to know how much carbon is stored in the South American forest.

The Observer Effect
From Communications of the ACM

The Observer Effect

Finding the balance between zero and maximum.

Quantum Teleportation Is Even Weirder Than You Think 
From ACM Opinion

Quantum Teleportation Is Even Weirder Than You Think 

A BBC headline last week, 'First object teleported to Earth's orbit', has to be one of the most fantastical you'll see this year. For once, it seems the future...

How China Tames Dissent on the Internet
From ACM Opinion

How China Tames Dissent on the Internet

Chinese government leaders, subtle masters of propaganda, seem to have discovered a Sun Tzu formula for taming dissent on the Internet: The best strategy may not...

When Companies Get Hacked, Should They Be Allowed to Hack Back?
From ACM Opinion

When Companies Get Hacked, Should They Be Allowed to Hack Back?

There is an old debate (at least, counting in internet years) that tends to crop up after major cybersecurity breaches such as the widespread WannaCry ransomware...

AI Could Revolutionize War As Much As Nukes
From ACM Opinion

AI Could Revolutionize War As Much As Nukes

In 1899, the world's most powerful nations signed a treaty at The Hague that banned military use of aircraft, fearing the emerging technology's destructive power...

Is Anyone Home? A Way to Find Out If AI Has Become Self-Aware
From ACM Opinion

Is Anyone Home? A Way to Find Out If AI Has Become Self-Aware

Every moment of your waking life and whenever you dream, you have the distinct inner feeling of being "you."

Spreading Fake News Becomes Standard Practice For Governments Across the World
From ACM Opinion

Spreading Fake News Becomes Standard Practice For Governments Across the World

Campaigns to manipulate public opinion through false or misleading social media postings have become standard political practice across much of the world, with...

The Russians Will Be Back. Will We Be Ready?
From ACM Opinion

The Russians Will Be Back. Will We Be Ready?

In recent days, our nation's response to the continued threat of foreign meddling in American elections has taken something of a surprising turn.

Please Prove You're Not a Robot
From ACM Opinion

Please Prove You're Not a Robot

When science fiction writers first imagined robot invasions, the idea was that bots would become smart and powerful enough to take over the world by force, whether...

Information Technology: A Digital Genius at Play
From ACM Opinion

Information Technology: A Digital Genius at Play

The US mathematician and electrical engineer Claude Shannon, whose life spanned the tumultuous, technologically explosive twentieth century, is often called the...

Why Robots Won't Steal All Our Jobs
From ACM Opinion

Why Robots Won't Steal All Our Jobs

Don't worry. The robots won't destroy all our jobs. History suggests just the opposite—that new technologies inspire new jobs.

Asimov's Laws Won't Stop Robots Harming Humans So We've Developed a Better solution
From ACM Opinion

Asimov's Laws Won't Stop Robots Harming Humans So We've Developed a Better solution

How do you stop a robot from hurting people?
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