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
What I Learned at Gerrymandering Summer Camp
At 6'5", Aaron Dennis towers over the whiteboard beside him.
From ACM Opinion
Sorry, Banning 'killer Robots' Just Isn't Practical
Late Sunday, 116 entrepreneurs, including Elon Musk, released a letter to the United Nations warning of the dangerous "Pandora's Box" presented by weapons that...
From ACM Opinion
Everyone Thinks That Automation Will Take Our Jobs. The Evidence Disagrees
Last year, the Japanese company SoftBank opened a cell phone store in Tokyo and staffed it entirely with sales associates named Pepper. This wasn't as hard as it...
From ACM Opinion
It's Past Time For You to Ditch that Fancy Scientific Calculator
Bruce Sherwood, the author of Matter and Interactions, had a question for me when I saw him at the American Association of Physics Teachers conference not long...
From ACM Opinion
AI Will Make Forging Anything Entirely Too Easy
"Lordy, I hope there are tapes," said an exasperated James Comey in his testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee on June 8. Comey's desire reflects a...
From ACM Opinion
It's Too Late to Stop China from Becoming an AI Superpower
Last Thursday, Texas senior senator John Cornyn stood before an audience of wonks at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, DC, and warned that America's...
From ACM Opinion
The Iphone's Turning 10. What Will It Look Like at 20?
You wake up refreshed. Ever since you got that alarm clock that adapts to your sleep cycle, your calendar, and the traffic report, you practically leap out of bed...
From ACM Opinion
Why Net Neutrality Matters Even in the Age of Oligopoly
Next month, Amazon, Netflix, and dozens of other companies and organizations will host a "day of action" aimed at saving net neutrality as we know it.
From ACM Opinion
Who Will Pay For the Future If Not the Robots?
RRobots are taking over the world's workforce—and why shouldn't they?
From ACM Opinion
Crispr Creator Jennifer Doudna on the Promises, and Pitfalls, of Easy Genetic Modification
For $150, you can buy a Crispr kit online and use it to engineer heartier gut bacteria in your kitchen.
From ACM Opinion
Facebook's Race to Link Your Brain to a Computer Might Be Ânwinnable
"What if you could type directly from your brain?" Regina Dugan said, as the same words appeared on the towering screen behind her, one digital character at a time...
From ACM Opinion
Bill Gates Is Wrong: The Solution to AI Taking Jobs Is Training, Not Taxes
Let's take a breath: Robots and artificial intelligence systems are nowhere near displacing the human workforce.
From ACM Opinion
The Battle For Top AI Talent Only Gets Tougher From Here
Andrew Ng helped create two of Silicon Valley's leading artificial intelligence labs.
From ACM Opinion
No, Microwave Ovens Cannot Spy on You, For Lots of Reasons
If you've been feeling a little paranoid lately—like even your standing mixer may be spying on you—rest assured that Trump senior counselor Kellyanne Conway shares...
From ACM Opinion
Boston Dynamics' New Rolling, Leaping Robot Is an Evolutionary Marvel
If you're ever feeling down, do yourself a favor and watch some footage from the 2015 Darpa Robotics Challenge.
From ACM Opinion
The AI Threat Isn't Skynet. It's the End of the Middle Class
In February 1975, a group of geneticists gathered in a tiny town on the central coast of California to decide if their work would bring about the end of the world...
From ACM Opinion
Lady Gaga's Halftime Show Drones Have a Bright Future
The best Super Bowl halftime shows leave indelible memories, be it a notorious wardrobe malfunction, that goofy Left Shark, or every last second of Beyoncé's two...
From ACM Opinion