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
'improving' Humans with Customized Genes Sparks Argument Among Scientists
"Today we sense we are close to be being able to alter human heredity," Nobel Laureate and California Institute of Technology virologist David Baltimore said December...
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The Most Important Number in Climate Change
The furious majesty of a thunderstorm defies computer simulation.
From ACM News
A Quick Guide to the Cybersecurity Bill Passed By the .s. Senate
After more than a year of bickering, stalling and revising, the Senate passed its most significant cybersecurity bill to date 74–21.
From ACM News
5 Mobile Technologies Help Level the Playing Field For People with Disabilities
Mobile devices have become incredibly popular for their ability to weave modern conveniences such as Internet access and social networking into the fabric of daily...
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A Computer's Heat Could Divulge Top Secrets
The most secure computers in the world can't "Google" a thing—they are disconnected from the Internet and all other networks.
From ACM Opinion
What Is the Big Secret Surrounding Stingray Surveillance?
Given the amount of mobile phone traffic that cell phone towers transmit, it is no wonder law enforcement agencies target these devices as a rich source of data...
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Here's What a Cyber Warfare Arsenal Might Look Like
The Pentagon has made clear in recent weeks that cyber warfare is no longer just a futuristic threat—it is now a real one.
From ACM News
Cryptographers Could Prevent Satellite Collisions
In February 2009 the U.S.'s Iridium 33 satellite collided with the Russian Cosmos 2251, instantly destroying both communications satellites.
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Human Traffickers Caught on Hidden Internet
In November 2012 a 28-year-old woman plunged 15 meters from a bedroom window to the pavement in New York City, a devastating fall that left her body broken but...
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Shopping Habits Reveal Personal Details in 'anonymized' Data
Details about where and when you use your credit card could help reveal your identity to data thieves—even if they don't know your name, address and other personal...
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'ambiguous' Warfare Buys Upgrade Time For Russia's Military
Unmarked Russian soldiers who seized Ukraine's Crimea region earlier this year gave every appearance of military professionals well equipped with modern body armor...
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In Defense of Science
Steady, sufficient investments in basic research are necessary to ensure the continued success of the U.S. in the future, four expert witnesses testified to Congress...
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Electric Grid, You Have Software pdates Available
The electric grid was designed as a one-way highway, with power cascading out from big power plants to cities and towns at the end of the line.
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Bitcoin Vies with New Cryptocurrencies as Coin of the Cyber Realm
At a bitcoin conference in Miami this January, Jeffrey Tucker, a laissez-faire economist and libertarian icon, made an unexpected observation.
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Fact or Fiction?: Your Car Is Hackable
When your home computer is hacked, the things at risk are your identity, finances and other digital assets.
From ACM Opinion
How Microsoft's 1 Percenters Balance Basic Research with Short-Term Success
When Microsoft launched its research labs in 1991, the personal computer was just beginning to blossom into a worldwide phenomenon, thanks in no small part to Windows...
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2013 Chemistry Nobel Goes to Computer Modeling of Chemical Reactions
What is actually happening at the atomic scale when two elements react?
From ACM News
Nsa Efforts to Evade Encryption Technology Damaged .s. Cryptography Standard
In the three months since Edward Snowden began his whistle-blowing campaign against the National Security Agency (NSA) the former government contractor has exposed...
From ACM News
Fact or Fiction: Encryption Prevents Digital Eavesdropping
Since the dawn of the Web and ubiquitous free e-mail services over the past two decades, the need to secure personal information online has been evident but often...
From ACM Opinion