Communications of the ACM
What Would the Chatbot Say?
Seeking to explain the unanticipated abilities of large language models.
From ACM NewsAn 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
Chip Delivery Times Shrank Rapidly in October as Supply Crunch Subsides
All major product areas are now available more quickly than they were.
From ACM TechNews
Software Robots Gaining Ground in White-Collar Office World
Software is making inroads into white-collar professions due to innovations enabled by artificial intelligence and machine learning, and fueled by pandemic-surging...
From ACM TechNews
BCI Startup Implants First Device in U.S. Patient
A brain-computer interface startup has implanted a wire-electrode combination in the brain of a U.S. patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
From ACM TechNews
Ethereum Mining Is Going Away
Ethereum mining could end soon due to "the Merge," leaving as many as 1 million miners out of a source of income.
From ACM TechNews
FDA Warns DNA Sequencing Machines Could Be Hacked
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned that certain Illumina DNA-sequencing machines have a software vulnerability that could jeopardize patient data.
From ACM TechNews
Cities Using Digital Twins Like SimCity for Policymakers
Cities like Orlando, FL, and Singapore are using digital twins to generate virtual models of themselves, in order to simulate the effects of potential new policies...
From ACM TechNews
Exxon Weighs Taking Gas-to-Bitcoin Pilot to Four Countries
A pilot program launched by Exxon Mobil Corp. involves powering cryptocurrency-mining operations using excess natural gas that otherwise would be burned off from...
From ACM TechNews
Robot Truckers Could Replace 500K U.S. Jobs
Autonomous driving engineers are developing driverless trucks for long-haul freight that runs along simple interstate routes.
From ACM News
Barbados Is Opening a Diplomatic Embassy in the Metaverse
Barbados is building its next embassy in Decentraland, an online world that is accessible to anyone with a computer and a virtual reality headset.
From ACM TechNews
DHL Doubles Robots as Humans Alone Can't Handle Holiday Crunch
DHL's supply-chain unit has doubled the number of robots it uses in the U.S. to about 1,500 ahead of the holidays, in addition to hiring 15,000 seasonal workers...
From ACM News
Big Teacher Is Watching: How AI Spyware Took Over Schools
The pandemic caused schools to embrace laptops, tablets, Zoom, and an app called GoGuardian that tracks everything students (and, sometimes, parents) do online....
From ACM TechNews
Amazon, Microsoft Swoop In on $24-Billion India Farm-Data Trove
Technology giants including Amazon, Microsoft, and Cisco are preparing to access data from India's farmers in a campaign to modernize the country's agricultural...
From ACM TechNews
Ethereum Weathers Bug That Underlines Possible Blockchain Risks
Ethereum co-founder Joseph Lubin said the blockchain survived a flaw from outdated software that divided the digital ledger last week, thanks to a quick program...
From ACM News
Waymo Is 99% of the Way to Self-Driving Cars. The Last 1% Is the Hardest
The world's most famous autonomous car shop has lost its CEO and is still getting stymied by traffic cones. What's taking so long?
From ACM TechNews
NYC Brain Computer Startup Announces FDA Trial Before Elon Musk
New York City-based brain-computer interface startup Synchron said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized human clinical trials for its commercial...
From ACM TechNews
Mass Ransomware Hack Used IT Software Flaws, Researchers Say
Cybersecurity researchers said the Russia-associated REvil hacker gang last weekend exploited previously unknown software flaws to cause a mass ransomware attack...
From ACM TechNews
Digitizing Rural Land Records, 1 Drone at a Time
The Indian government's Svamitva project involves the use of drone technology to survey the inhabited areas of rural villages.
From ACM News
Intel's Latest Hail Mary Is a $20-Billion Bet on American Manufacturing
The chipmaker helped create Silicon Valley—but cultural complacency and a missed mobile boom have left it far behind competitors.
From ACM TechNews
Double-Masking Benefits Are Limited, Japan Supercomputer Finds
Double-masking yields limited benefits compared to a single well-fitted disposable mask, according to an analysis conducted with a Japanese supercomputer.
From ACM TechNews