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
Self-Driving Cars Won't Work ntil We Change Our Roads—and Attitudes
Autonomous vehicles will join human drivers on our roads sooner than most people think.
From ACM Opinion
Cyberwar, Out of the Shadows
A hacking attack on a Las Vegas hotel company. A power grid blackout in the Ukraine. A series of industrial accidents at an Iranian nuclear enrichment lab.
From ACM Opinion
After Alphago, What's Next For Ai?
AlphaGo's victories against legendary Go player Lee Se-dol over the last few days mark a major milestone in AI research.
From ACM Opinion
Head of British Intelligence Agency on Apple, Snowden, and Regrets
Shortly after Robert Hannigan took over the British signals-intelligence agency GCHQ in 2014, he implored technology companies to do more to facilitate investigations...
From ACM Opinion
The Creepy, Inescapable Advertisements That Could Define Virtual Reality
When cookie giant Oreo wanted to promote its latest flavors, its marketing heads decided to spice up its traditional TV ads with something not just new, but otherworldly...
From ACM Opinion
A Computer Takes On a Human Master of the Board Game Go
In 1997, IBM's Deep Blue computer defeated the world chess champion Garry Kasparov. It was a momentous occasion for artificial intelligence, showing how far a clever...
From ACM Opinion
Surprising Tips from a Super-Hacker
Virtually everyone in technology knows about Kevin Mitnick, who in the 1970s, '80s and '90s was a notorious fugitive hacker on the run from the FBI.
From ACM Opinion
Europe's Antitrust Enforcer on Google, Apple and the Year Ahead
Margrethe Vestager is already having a busy 2016.
From ACM Opinion
Why We Love the Games That Enrage S Most
One afternoon last fall a Reddit user with the handle "FranktheShank1" was enjoying a new video game on his PlayStation 4.
From ACM Opinion
Why Digital Security Is an 'arms Race' Between Firms and the Feds
The Apple-FBI standoff, where Apple is refusing to write special software that would help investigators crack into an iPhone of one of the San Bernardino shooters...
From ACM Opinion
The New Mind Control
Over the past century, more than a few great writers have expressed concern about humanity's future.
From ACM Opinion
Toward the End of Pilots
A memory that’s stayed with me from my stint in the military nearly 50 years ago is a sign that my supply sergeant kept on his desk: "We’ve been working with less...
From ACM Opinion
A Plan in Case Robots Take the Jobs: Give Everyone a Paycheck
Let's say computers come for most of our jobs. This may not seem likely at the moment; computer scientists and economists offer wildly varying ideas for how deeply...
From ACM Opinion
Can Google's Driverless Car Project Survive a Fatal Accident?
Everybody knew this day would come.
From ACM Opinion
Ford's Futurist Knows Kids Today See Status in Their Smartphones, Not Cars
There can't be many job titles out there cooler than "futurist." And earlier this week, I sat down with Sheryl Connelly, who holds that position at the Ford Motor...
From ACM Opinion
This One Thing Could Hurt Apple's Case in Washington
Apple's fight with the FBI is widening beyond the courts.
From ACM Opinion
Forcing Apple to Hack That Iphone Sets a Dangerous Precedent
Are Apple and other tech companies somehow against America's national security if they create uncrackable encryption software that government investigators or even...
From ACM Opinion
This Is Why People Fear the 'internet of Things'
Imagine buying an internet-enabled surveillance camera, network attached storage device, or home automation gizmo, only to find that it secretly and constantly...
From ACM Opinion
How Tim Cook Aims to Profit from Protecting Privacy
Would you stop buying Apple's products if it decided to help the FBI open a terrorist's iPhone?
From ACM Opinion