An Association of the Members, by the Members, for the Members
The ACM Future of Computing Academy and social-responsibility initiatives are both very important to the future of ACM, and ACM should not give up on them.
Moshe Y. Vardi
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The West has responded to Russia's invasion of Ukraine with punitive economic sanctions. In one fell swoop, the efficient, (almost) unified world of global technology has come apart.
ACM, Ethics, and Corporate Behavior
The biggest problem that computing faces today is not that AI technology is unethical, but that AI technology is used by large and powerful corporations to support a business model that is, arguably, unethical.
Technology can lead to improved education, but only if we move slow and do not break things.
The Paradox of Choice in Computing-Research Conferences
The current computing-research publication system conflates research publishing with community building. We may need in-person conferences for community building, but not so many!
The Sand-Heap Paradox of Privacy and Influence
In 2018, Arnold Kling wrote a famous blog article, "How the Internet turned bad." It is time for us, as a community, to ask now: "How do we turn the Internet good?"
Program Verification: Vision and Reality
In 1969, Tony Hoare wrote in "An Axiomatic Basis for Computer Programming" about mathematical certainty, great reliance, and confidence. In retrospect, the hope for "mathematical certainty" was idealized, and not fully realistic, I believe.
Three-way conflict arises in professional societies, such as ACM, which have members, elected officials, and permanent staff. Aligning the interests of these three groups can be challenging.
Today, the top seven companies in the S&P 500 index are all tech companies. Large companies wield power, and that often leads to a clash between these companies and "The People," that is, with governments.
Reboot the Computing-Research Publication Systems
The virtualization of conferences due to COVID-19 has sharpened my conviction that the computing-research publication system is badly broken and in need of a serious reboot.
Shape the Future of Computing
ACM encourages its members to take a direct hand in shaping the future of the association. There are more ways than ever to get involved.
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