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Why the Future of Data Storage is (Still) Magnetic Tape
From ACM Opinion

Why the Future of Data Storage is (Still) Magnetic Tape

It should come as no surprise that recent advances in big-data analytics and artificial intelligence have created strong incentives for enterprises to amass information...

How D-Wave's Quantum Machine Could Help Exotic Physics
From ACM Opinion

How D-Wave's Quantum Machine Could Help Exotic Physics

Picture a computer. Now I'm going to go out on a limb and say that you were probably thinking of your laptop, or maybe even your smartphone if you're being smart...

Overtrust in the Robotic Age
From Communications of the ACM

Overtrust in the Robotic Age

A contemporary ethical challenge.

When Machine Learning is Facially Invalid
From Communications of the ACM

When Machine Learning is Facially Invalid

Observations on the use of machine learning and facial inferences to classify people using inexplicable data.

Navigating with Accelerating Technology Change
From Communications of the ACM

Navigating with Accelerating Technology Change

Mathematical tools such as S-curves locate inflection points in technology-accelerated social spaces; where we move next depends on our navigational skills.

An Academic's Observations from a Sabbatical at Google
From Communications of the ACM

An Academic's Observations from a Sabbatical at Google

How experiences gained in industry can improve academic research and teaching.

Is Software the Result of Top-Down Intelligent Design or Evolution?
From Communications of the ACM

Is Software the Result of Top-Down Intelligent Design or Evolution?

Considering the potential danger to individuals of rapid coevolution.

I Just Hacked a State Election. I'm 17. And I'm Not Even a Very Good Hacker.
From ACM Opinion

I Just Hacked a State Election. I'm 17. And I'm Not Even a Very Good Hacker.

It took me around 10 minutes to crash the upcoming midterm elections.

What Went Wrong With IBM's Watson
From ACM Opinion

What Went Wrong With IBM's Watson

What if artificial intelligence can't cure cancer after all?

A Bold Mission to Touch the Sun
From ACM Opinion

A Bold Mission to Touch the Sun

On Sunday, August 12, NASA launched a bold mission to fly directly into the sun's atmosphere, with a spacecraft named the Parker Solar Probe, after solar astrophysicist...

Are Blockchains the Answer for Secure Elections? Probably Not
From ACM Opinion

Are Blockchains the Answer for Secure Elections? Probably Not

With the U.S. heading into a pivotal midterm election, little progress has been made on ensuring the integrity of voting systems—a concern that retook the spotlight...

What Are Rare Earths, Crucial Elements in Modern Technology? 4 Questions Answered
From ACM Opinion

What Are Rare Earths, Crucial Elements in Modern Technology? 4 Questions Answered

Most Americans use rare earth elements every day—without knowing it, or knowing anything about what they do. That could change, as these unusual materials are becoming...

Why AI Researchers Shouldn't Turn Their Backs on the Military
From ACM Opinion

Why AI Researchers Shouldn't Turn Their Backs on the Military

More than 2,400 AI researchers recently signed a pledge promising not to build so-called autonomous weapons—systems that would decide on their own whom to kill....

AI for Cybersecurity Is a Hot New Thing, and a Dangerous Gamble
From ACM Opinion

AI for Cybersecurity Is a Hot New Thing, and a Dangerous Gamble

When I walked around the exhibition floor at this week's massive Black Hat cybersecurity conference in Las Vegas, I was struck by the number of companies boasting...

Programmers Need Ethics When Designing the Technologies that Influence People's Lives
From ACM Opinion

Programmers Need Ethics When Designing the Technologies that Influence People's Lives

Computing professionals are on the front lines of almost every aspect of the modern world.

Google's Duplex AI Scares Some People, but I Can't Wait for It to Become a Thing
From ACM Opinion

Google's Duplex AI Scares Some People, but I Can't Wait for It to Become a Thing

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic," Arthur C. Clarke famously wrote. That line must have zoomed through 5,000 audience brains...

3D-Printed (and CNC-Milled) Guns: Nine Questions You Were Too Afraid to Ask
From ACM Opinion

3D-Printed (and CNC-Milled) Guns: Nine Questions You Were Too Afraid to Ask

By now, you've probably seen all the news regarding Defense Distributed, company founder Cody Wilson, and 3D-printed guns.

Startup JITX ­ses AI to Automate Complex Circuit Board Design
From ACM Opinion

Startup JITX ­ses AI to Automate Complex Circuit Board Design

While anyone can learn how to design a circuit board, it takes a skilled engineer to design a circuit board that is both well optimized and unlikely to melt, explode...

Mars Is Frigid, Rusty and Haunted. We Can’t Stop Looking at It.
From ACM Opinion

Mars Is Frigid, Rusty and Haunted. We Can’t Stop Looking at It.

There it was: Glowering red on the dashboard of the sky like an astrological warning light next to the full Blood Moon Friday. Mars.

As Moore's Law Dies, the Chip Giants Seek Fresh Prey
From ACM Opinion

As Moore's Law Dies, the Chip Giants Seek Fresh Prey

After a five-year, $240 billion acquisition spree, there's a suspicion that the nature of deal-making in the semiconductor industry may be starting to change.
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