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acm
The Association for Computing Machinery
Advancing Computing as a Science & Profession
CACM REPORTS: THE PROMISE AND PROBLEMS OF ARTIFICIAL
INTELLIGENCE
January Issue Reports on the Legacy of AI Founder John McCarthy, AI’s Impact on Jobs,
Celebrating the Turing Centennial, and Better Medicine Through Machine Learning
NEW YORK – December 20, 2011 – John McCarthy, recipient of the 1971 ACM Turing
Award in part for his pioneering work in artificial intelligence (AI), initiated the study of logical
AI. In the January Communications of the ACM (CACM) cover story
http://cacm.acm.org/magazines/2012/1 (available later this month), science and technology writer
Paul Hyman surveys the late computer scientist’s contributions to building intelligent systems,
including his coinage of the term “artificial intelligence.” Also in the issue, Editor-in-Chief
Moshe Y. Vardi probes the tensions surrounding AI between overpromising pioneers and
underappreciated accomplishments. In this centennial year of the birth of computing icon Alan
Turing, who explored the concept of machine learning, Communications reports on a range of
planned global events including ACM’s two-day celebration June 15-16 in San Francisco that
will bring together 32 Turing Award winners.
Communications, the flagship publication of ACM (the Association for Computing Machinery),
offers readers access to this generation’s most significant leaders and innovators in computing and
information technology, and is available online in digital format
http://mags.acm.org/communications/current .
The promise of better medicine through machine learning is examined in an article on how
computer scientists are searching for patterns that can aid diagnosis and improve clinical care. Citing
efforts to apply machine learning at a variety of institutions, writer Neil Savage details promising
programs that include detection of cancerous lesions, improving diagnosis and treatment options, and
building models that can predict treatment outcomes.
Also in this issue:
 In “(Computer) Vision without Sight,” Roberto Manduchi of the University of California, Santa Cruz
and James Coughlan of The Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute describe the use of computer
vision systems and algorithms to support visually impaired people in their daily tasks. They propose
promising research directions that combine computer vision (VI) and assistive technology for the VI
population.
 In an article developed by acm Queue titled “1/O Virtualization,” Carl Waldspurger and Mendel
Rosenblum examine the compelling advantages as well as the challenges of decoupling a logical
device from its physical implementation, which they maintain can improve flexibility and high
performance.
 Carnegie Mellon’s Jason Hong identifies three strategies for protecting end users from phishing scams,
which are becoming increasingly pervasive and sophisticated. He advises developers to go beyond
blaming users if they expect to deploy effective countermeasures against phishing attacks.
 In an article on interfaces for the ordinary user, Kai Olsen of the University of Bergen, Norway and
Alessio Malizia of the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Spain challenge today’s tendency to hide the
underlying file structure from users. They note that increasing the visibility and access to underlying
file structure on consumer devices can vastly improve the user experience.
 Samuel Greengard argues that cyberlaw – the real-world law extended to the virtual world – is at the
center of an increasingly contentious battle over rights, responsibilities, and resources. He examines
how technology is changing the way countries approach matters as diverse as international crime and
content ownership.
 In an interview with Stephen A. Cook, winner of the 1982 ACM Turing Award, he reflects on his
career as one of the forefathers of computational complexity theory, and the feasibility of solving the P
versus NP problem, which has recently received renewed attention.
 Blog@CACM blogger Mark Guzdial writes about why teachers must grasp introductory computer
science students’ theories about computing; and Bertrand Meyer argues for the necessity of analyzing
large-scale software disasters and publishing detailed technical studies.
For more information on Communications of the ACM, click on http://cacm.acm.org/
About ACM
ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery www.acm.org, is the world’s largest educational and scientific
computing society, uniting computing educators, researchers and professionals to inspire dialogue, share resources
and address the field’s challenges. ACM strengthens the computing profession’s collective voice through strong
leadership, promotion of the highest standards, and recognition of technical excellence. ACM supports the
professional growth of its members by providing opportunities for life-long learning, career development, and
professional networking.
Contact:
Virginia Gold
212-626-0505
[email protected]
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