Communications of the ACM
An edited collection of advanced computing news from Communications of the ACM, ACM TechNews, other ACM resources, and news sites around the Web.
From ACM News
Apple’s M1 Chip Has a Fascinating Flaw
The covert channel bug is harmless, but it demonstrates that even new CPUs have mistakes in them.
From ACM News
As Chips Shrink, Rowhammer Attacks Get Harder to Stop
A full fix for the "Half-Double" technique will require rethinking how memory semiconductors are designed.
From ACM News
AI Could Soon Write Code Based on Ordinary Language
Microsoft reveals plans to bring GPT-3, best known for generating text, to programming. "The code writes itself," CEO Satya Nadella says.
From ACM News
Prabhakar Raghavan Isn't CEO of Google—He Just Runs the Place
In his first interview since taking a top job, Raghavan gets into the future of search, misinformation, employee ferment, and robots making phone calls.
From ACM News
The Pentagon Inches Toward Letting AI Control Weapons
Drills involving swarms of drones raise questions about whether machines could outperform a human operator in complex scenarios.
From ACM News
Ford's Ever-Smarter Robots Are Speeding Up the Assembly Line
A transmission factory shows how artificial intelligence may creep into industrial processes in gradual and often imperceptible ways.
From ACM News
This Researcher Says AI Is Neither Artificial nor Intelligent
Kate Crawford, who holds positions at USC and Microsoft, says in a new book that even experts working on the technology misunderstand AI.
From ACM News
Now for AI's Latest Trick: Writing Computer Code
Programs such as GPT-3 can compose convincing text. Some people are using the tool to automate software development and hunt for bugs.
From ACM News
This AI Could Help Wipe Out Colon Cancer
Medtronic's GI Genius, recently cleared by the FDA, will help doctors identify precancerous polyps.
From ACM News
Intel Wants to Revive U.S. Chipmaking—but It Has to Catch Up First
The semiconductor giant announced plans to open its factories to others, but it will send some of its most advanced designs to be made in Taiwan.
From ACM News
AI Could Enable 'Swarm Warfare' for Tomorrow's Fighter Jets
A Pentagon project is testing scenarios involving multiple aircraft that could change the dynamics of air combat.
From ACM TechNews
France Ties Russia's Sandworm to Multiyear Hacking Spree
The French National Agency for the Security of Information Systems said attackers associated with Russian military hackers have been compromising French targets...
From ACM News
Forget Chess—the Real Challenge Is Teaching AI to Play D&D
Some artificial intelligence experts think role playing adventure games will help machines learn to be as clever as we are.
From ACM TechNews
Malware Now Targeting Apple's M1 Processor
Security researchers have identified malware customized to run on Apple's new M1 processors in the MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and Mac Mini computers.
From ACM News
Microsoft's Big Win in Quantum Computing Was an 'Error' After All
In a 2018 paper, researchers said they found evidence of an elusive theorized particle. A closer look now suggests otherwise.
From ACM TechNews
As Robots Fill the Workplace, They Must Learn to Get Along
Singapore's Changi General Hospital is using software from Open Robotics to avoid standoffs among its robots in hallways or outside elevators.
From ACM News
The Secret History of the First Microprocessor, the F-14, and Me
In a weird way, I've known Ray Holt all my life, but I never knew what he had accomplished—or how his inventions wove their way into my own family.
From ACM News
Google's Antitrust Cases: A Guide for the Perplexed
The company is facing multiple lawsuits from the U.S. Department of Justice and three dozen states.
From ACM TechNews
Critical Flaws in Millions of IoT Devices May Never Get Fixed
Internet of Things security firm Forescout uncovered 33 flaws in seven open source TCP/IP stacks that potentially leave millions of IoT devices vulnerable.
From ACM News