Communications of the ACM
Innovation Is Overrated: A Provocation
Digital innovation is not working in the interest of the whole of society. It is time to radically rethink its purpose without…
From ACM Opinion
Why So Many Young People Hate STEM Courses
A high school senior recounts why she almost gave up on her dream of becoming a scientist
From ACM Opinion
The Question Medical AI Can't Answer
It's unable to tell us why it came to a particular decision—and that's crucial information
From ACM Opinion
If You Say 'Science Is Right,' You're Wrong
It can't supply absolute truths about the world, but it brings us steadily closer.
From ACM Opinion
The U.S. Needs a National Strategic Computing Reserve
One year after supercomputers worked together to fight COVID-19, it's time to broaden the partnership to prepare for other crises.
From ACM Opinion
Don't Regulate Artificial Intelligence: Starve It
The potential dangers of artificial intelligence are great enough to required great care about how powerful we allow it to become.
From ACM Opinion
STEM Education Needs a Course Correction
Technical training today should not be solely in the business of making better coders but of making better people who will be able to cultivate the future.
From ACM Opinion
Virtual Reality Has An Accessibility Problem
Virtual reality has been touted as an "empathy machine" that lets users see what it's like to have a disability—but people with disabilities often can't use it....
From ACM Opinion
AI Isn't a Solution to All Our Problems
It's simply a tool—and hardly a perfect one
From ACM Opinion
Don't Kill Innovation With Excessive Regulation
California's new law forcing ride-sharing companies to treat their drivers as employees could harm or kill an important new business model.
From ACM Opinion
Don't Fear the Terminator
The fear that artificial intelligence machines could become our overlords — or perhaps wipe us out altogether — reflects a misunderstanding of AI.
From ACM Opinion
How STEM Education Must Evolve
STEM curricula must be enhanced so graduates have a deeper understanding of how their work affects humanity.
From ACM Opinion
Q&A: Shuttle Astronaut Mike Massimino On the Legacy of Apollo 11
On the eve of the 50th anniversary of the first lunar landing, astronaut Mike Massimino speaks about the impact of the Apollo missions on his own career trajectory...
From ACM Opinion
Where Are All the Working Mothers in STEM?
Parenthood is a key driver of gender imbalance in STEM. Almost half of all women in full-time science jobs leave or go part-time after the birth of their first...
From ACM Opinion
Are We Really the Smartest Kid on the Cosmic Block?
It is unclear how many intelligent civilizations have arisen in the Milky Way galaxy so far, but if some have, a pressing question comes to mind: Were they or are...
From ACM Opinion
Don't Let Robots Pull the Trigger
The killer machines are coming. Robotic weapons that target and destroy without human supervision are poised to start a revolution in warfare comparable to the...
From ACM Opinion
AI's Big Challenge
The recently signed executive order establishing the American AI Initiative correctly identifies artificial intelligence as central to American competitiveness...
From ACM Opinion
Electronic Contracts and the Illusion of Consent
Q: What do you do when you see a little button on a webpage or app screen that says I agree?
From ACM Opinion
Is the .S. Lagging in the Quest for Quantum Computing?
A quantum computer capable of breaking the strongest codes protecting online communications and computer data is highly unlikely to appear within the next decade...
From ACM Opinion
The Vulnerabilities of Our Voting Machines
A few weeks ago computer scientist J. Alex Halderman rolled an electronic voting machine onto a Massachusetts Institute of Technology stage and demonstrated how...
From ACM Opinion