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
Going To the World Cup? Leave the Laptop at Home
A Russian sports official earlier this year estimated that as many as 2 million people would flock to the country during the World Cup, the month-long celebration...
From ACM Opinion
Connected Cars Can Lie, Posing a New Threat to Smart Cities
The day when cars can talk to each other—and to traffic lights, stop signs, guardrails and even pavement markings—is rapidly approaching.
From ACM Opinion
The Many Shades of Bad Physics
What happens when you see bad physics in the world? Does it make you angry? Does it make you laugh?
From ACM Opinion
How We're Using Darwin's Theory of Evolution to Build Robots that Can Adapt and Learn on Their Own
The uptake of robotics technology is increasing at a startling rate.
From ACM Opinion
We Know You Hate the Internet of Things, but It's Saving Megafauna from Poachers
For much of this decade, organizations seeking to protect wildlife have attempted to use emerging technology as a conservation tool, allowing small numbers of people...
From ACM Opinion
The Importance of Teaching Robots to Hug
Hugs make us feel warm and safe and comforted and loved.
From ACM Opinion
The Researchers Who Study Alien Linguistics
Sheri Wells-Jensen is fascinated by languages no one has ever heard—those that might be spoken by aliens.
From ACM Opinion
The 'Golden Age of Electronic Surveillance' Is Ending, Says Former NSA and CIA Chief Michael Hayden
At America's intelligence agencies, there are three ways to "steal secrets," says former CIA and NSA director Michael Hayden: Humans, signals and imagery.
From ACM Opinion
Why No One Answers Their Phone Anymore
The telephone swept into Americans' lives in the first decades of the 20th century.
From ACM Opinion
How Close Are We, Really, to Building a Quantum Computer?
The race is on to build the world's first meaningful quantum computer—one that can deliver the technology's long-promised ability to help scientists do things like...
From ACM Opinion
Before Reproducibility Must Come Preproducibility
From time to time over the past few years, I've politely refused requests to referee an article on the grounds that it lacks enough information for me to check...
From ACM Opinion
What Are These 'Levels' of Autonomous Vehicles?
As automated and autonomous vehicles become more common on U.S. roads, it's worth a look at what these machines can—and can't—do.
From Communications of the ACM
Effectiveness of Anonymization in Double-Blind Review
Assessing the effectiveness of anonymization in the review process.
From ACM Opinion
Automated Health Care Offers Freedom from Shame, But Is It What Patients Need?
A few years ago, Timothy Bickmore, a computer scientist at Northeastern University, developed an artificial-intelligence program to help low-income patients at...
From ACM Opinion
To Build Truly Intelligent Machines, Teach Them Cause and Effect
Artificial intelligence owes a lot of its smarts to Judea Pearl.
From ACM Opinion
So, mm, Google Duplex's Chatter Is Not Quite Human
Google's Duplex voice assistant drew applause last week at the company's annual I/O developer conference after CEO Sundar Pichai demonstrated the artificially intelligent...
From ACM News