Communications of the ACM
Is the Computer Science Degree Dead?
Recent trends point to a decline in traditional education due to changing views and alternative education opportunities.
From ACM Opinion
Don't Kill Innovation With Excessive Regulation
California's new law forcing ride-sharing companies to treat their drivers as employees could harm or kill an important new business model.
From ACM Opinion
I Competed Against An AI
Marc Zao-Sanders, founder and CEO of Filtered, squared off against magpie, the set of algorithms that recommends learning content to people looking to pick up new...
From ACM Opinion
Don't Fear the Terminator
The fear that artificial intelligence machines could become our overlords — or perhaps wipe us out altogether — reflects a misunderstanding of AI.
From ACM Opinion
How STEM Education Must Evolve
STEM curricula must be enhanced so graduates have a deeper understanding of how their work affects humanity.
From ACM Opinion
Q&A: Shuttle Astronaut Mike Massimino On the Legacy of Apollo 11
On the eve of the 50th anniversary of the first lunar landing, astronaut Mike Massimino speaks about the impact of the Apollo missions on his own career trajectory...
From ACM Opinion
Our Disabilities Have Made s Better Scientists
Scientific research is rarely designed to accommodate scientists with medical conditions or disabilities.
From ACM Opinion
Where Are All the Working Mothers in STEM?
Parenthood is a key driver of gender imbalance in STEM. Almost half of all women in full-time science jobs leave or go part-time after the birth of their first...
From ACM Opinion
Are We Really the Smartest Kid on the Cosmic Block?
It is unclear how many intelligent civilizations have arisen in the Milky Way galaxy so far, but if some have, a pressing question comes to mind: Were they or are...
From ACM Opinion
Don't Let Robots Pull the Trigger
The killer machines are coming. Robotic weapons that target and destroy without human supervision are poised to start a revolution in warfare comparable to the...
From ACM Opinion
AI's Big Challenge
The recently signed executive order establishing the American AI Initiative correctly identifies artificial intelligence as central to American competitiveness...
From ACM Opinion
Be Kind to Extraterrestrials
In his celebrated book On Walden Pond, Henry David Thoreau wrote: "We need the tonic of wildness.... At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all...
From ACM Opinion
Electronic Contracts and the Illusion of Consent
Q: What do you do when you see a little button on a webpage or app screen that says I agree?
From ACM Opinion
Tiny Computers Could Transform Our Lives
Remember Innerspace, the comedy sci-fi movie from the '80s about a microscopic manned pod injected into a human?
From ACM Opinion