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Colonizing Mars Means Contaminating Mars, and Never Knowing for Sure If It Had Its Own Native Life
From ACM Opinion

Colonizing Mars Means Contaminating Mars, and Never Knowing for Sure If It Had Its Own Native Life

The closest place in the universe where extraterrestrial life might exist is Mars, and human beings are poised to attempt to colonize this planetary neighbor within...

Artificial Intelligence Hits the Barrier of Meaning
From ACM Opinion

Artificial Intelligence Hits the Barrier of Meaning

You've probably heard that we're in the midst of an A.I. revolution.

Humans Are Getting More Botlike on Twitter
From ACM Opinion

Humans Are Getting More Botlike on Twitter

We know for sure that Cesar Sayoc, who allegedly targeted high-profile Democrats with mail bombs in late October, isn't a Russian bot.

Even a Few Bots Can Shift Public Opinion in Big Ways
From ACM Opinion

Even a Few Bots Can Shift Public Opinion in Big Ways

Nearly two-thirds of the social media bots with political activity on Twitter before the 2016 U.S. presidential election supported Donald Trump.

What the Boston School Bus Schedule Can Teach ­s About AI
From ACM Opinion

What the Boston School Bus Schedule Can Teach ­s About AI

When the Boston public school system announced new start times last December, some parents found the schedules unacceptable and pushed back.

The Real Houseguest of the Ecuadorian Embassy
From ACM Opinion

The Real Houseguest of the Ecuadorian Embassy

If Julian Assange of WikiLeaks denies the Ecuadorian government's stinging charge that he's a disgusting houseguest, he'd do well not to deny that charge "categorically...

The Vulnerabilities of Our Voting Machines
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...

Kai-Fu Lee Says ­.S. Tech Companies Aren't Ready for Chinese AI
From ACM Opinion

Kai-Fu Lee Says ­.S. Tech Companies Aren't Ready for Chinese AI

The chairman and chief executive officer ofSinovation Ventures says America's technology industry can't afford to underestimate the artificial intelligence companies...

The Internet Will Be the Death of ­s
From ACM Opinion

The Internet Will Be the Death of ­s


Nobody's Cellphone Is Really That Secure
From ACM Opinion

Nobody's Cellphone Is Really That Secure

Earlier this week, The New York Times reported that the Russians and the Chinese were eavesdropping on President Donald Trump's personal cellphone and using the...

The Russia Investigations: The U.S. Launches a Digital Offensive, Gently
From ACM Opinion

The Russia Investigations: The U.S. Launches a Digital Offensive, Gently

Everyone knows how to picture the special operations troopers of, for example, the Army's elite Delta Force: Rough-looking customers with custom carbines and advanced...

My Thoughts Are My Password, Because My Brain Reactions Are ­nique
From ACM Opinion

My Thoughts Are My Password, Because My Brain Reactions Are ­nique

Your brain is an inexhaustible source of secure passwords—but you might not have to remember anything. Passwords and PINs with letters and numbers are relatively...

Using Any Surface to Realize a New Paradigm for Wireless Communications
From Communications of the ACM

Using Any Surface to Realize a New Paradigm for Wireless Communications

Programmable wireless environments use unique customizable software processes rather than traditional rigid channel models.

How Machine Learning Impacts the Undergraduate Computing Curriculum
From Communications of the ACM

How Machine Learning Impacts the Undergraduate Computing Curriculum

The growing importance of machine learning creates challenging questions for computing education.

The EU's Controversial Digital Single Market Directive
From Communications of the ACM

The EU's Controversial Digital Single Market Directive

Should copyright enforcement have precedence over the interests of users in information privacy and fundamental freedoms?

How the Blockchain Could Break Big Tech's Hold on A.I.
From ACM Opinion

How the Blockchain Could Break Big Tech's Hold on A.I.

Pairing artificial intelligence and the blockchain might be what you would expect from a scammer looking to make a quick buck in 2018.

'This Is How Donald Trump Stays President for Four More Years'
From ACM Opinion

'This Is How Donald Trump Stays President for Four More Years'

Donald Trump often claims Facebook and Google are "rigged" to favor the political left. Now he's building a 2020 campaign infrastructure that can circumvent them...

Presenting Robots As People Stops ­s Thinking Clearly About AI
From ACM Opinion

Presenting Robots As People Stops ­s Thinking Clearly About AI

Last week, Pepper the robot spoke before Parliament, but this kind of stunt distracts from the real issues AI provokes.

Paper and the Case for Going Low-Tech in the Voting Booth
From ACM Opinion

Paper and the Case for Going Low-Tech in the Voting Booth

In September 2017, barely two months before Virginians went to the polls to pick a new governor, the state's board of elections convened an emergency session. The...

I Fell for Facebook Fake News. Here's Why Millions of You Did, Too.
From ACM Opinion

I Fell for Facebook Fake News. Here's Why Millions of You Did, Too.

The Facebook video is nuts, but I can't tear my eyes away. A plane, struggling in a huge storm, does a 360-degree flip before safely landing and letting out terrified...
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