Communications of the ACM
Why Hackers Aren't Afraid of Us
Ask finance ministers and central bankers around the world about their worst nightmare and the answer is almost always the same…
From ACM Opinion
A Plea for AI That Serves Humanity Instead of Replacing It
Sixty-two years ago this summer, Dartmouth professor John McCarthy coined the term artificial intelligence. Joi Ito, director of MIT's Media Lab, has come to think...
From ACM Opinion
Misinformation and Biases Infect Social Media, Both Intentionally and Accidentally
Social media are among the primary sources of news in the U.S. and across the world.
From ACM Opinion
Autonomous Vehicles Might Drive Cities to Financial Ruin
In Ann Arbor, Michigan, last week, 125 mostly white, mostly male, business-card-bearing attendees crowded into a brightly lit ballroom to consider "mobility."
From ACM Opinion
Pentagon Puts Cyberwarriors on the Offensive, Increasing the Risk of Conflict
The Pentagon has quietly empowered the United States Cyber Command to take a far more aggressive approach to defending the nation against cyberattacks, a shift...
From ACM Opinion
The Erosion of Reality
Let me say this upfront: I'm not convinced that 'superintelligent' AI are the most pressing threat from coming generations of deep learning machines.
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
Self-Driving Cars Likely Won't Steal Your Job (Until 2040)
The self-driving robots are coming to transform your job. Kind of. Also, very slowly.
From ACM Opinion
Why Do We Care So Much About Privacy?
The reason you've been receiving a steady stream of privacy-policy updates from online services, some of which you may have forgotten you ever subscribed to, is...
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
Costs of Snowden Leak Still Mounting 5 Years Later
Whistleblower or traitor, leaker or public hero?
From ACM Opinion
Jurassic World: Can We Really Resurrect a Dinosaur?
This summer, the fifth instalment of the Jurassic Park franchise will be on the big screen, reinforcing a love of dinosaurs that has been with many of us since...
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
Trump's Lack of Cyber Leader May Make U.S. Vulnerable
The absence of senior cybersecurity leaders in President Donald Trump's administration may be leaving the United States more vulnerable to digital warfare and less...
From ACM Opinion
The Responsibility of Immortality: Welcome to the New Transhumanism
In the summer of 1990, I was running a pretty weird nightclub in the Roppongi neighborhood of Tokyo.
From ACM Opinion