Happy Birthday to Alan Turing, who was born on this day in 1912. Alan Turing introduced the concept of the universal computing machine, showing that a single machine could perform any computation that can be described by an algorithm. The ACM A.M. Turing Award was named in his honor.
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If you would like to share your thoughts, please use this link (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeq7MFM7TlSXIaIXQnIltiQeWE_w3cl36HFPwql4S7u-drmzg/viewform) ACM leadership will take your feedback into account while we develop and implement our AI content strategy over the coming months.
We are opening a consultation on the inclusion of ACM publications within AI licensing agreements for access and training purposes. To set out our thinking behind this consultation, we have published this piece by Scott Delman as to why we believe it is now the right time for us to enter into these discussions.
🔗 : https://cacm.acm.org/opinion/now-is-the-time-to-give-llms-access-to-the-acm-digital-library/
Happy Birthday to Claude Shannon, known by many as the “father of Information Theory.” Shannon was an American mathematician and electrical engineer. In 1948, he published A Mathematical Theory of Communication, which effectively created the field. #ComputingHistory #ACM #PioneerPOV
Congratulations to Professor Dame Wendy Hall, Regius Professor of Computer Science at the U.K.’s University of Southampton, on winning the prestigious Sir Frank Whittle Medal! 🏆
Former ACM President & current ACM Publications Board Co-Chair, she continues to advocate for safety, diversity, and societal impact in tech. 💡
Look out for her new book, AI Explained, coming out this September! 📚
https://cacm.acm.org/news/dame-wendy-hall-receives-sir-frank-whittle-medal/#WomenInSTEM #AI #ComputerScience #TechNews
Happy Birthday, Jack J. Dongarra! Dongarra received the #ACMTuringAward in 2021 for his pioneering contributions to numerical algorithms and libraries that have enabled high-performance computational software to keep pace with exponential hardware improvements.
This video highlights some of Dongarra's achievements: https://youtu.be/Oe9LRKoE6L0?si=R-kg9QjodSU3omId
On this day in 2007, Apple released the original iPhone. By combining an iPod, a phone, and a breakthrough internet communicator into a single touch screen device, Apple swept away the physical keyboards and stylus-driven interfaces of the past. The iPhone effectively consolidated the entire internet into a pocket sized device, forever changing how humanity interacts with technology.
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- We are aware of concerns around key issues such as attribution, hallucinations, and the uneven economic landscape among commercial AI providers. Therefore, we will evaluate both opportunities and risks very carefully before coming to a decision. ✒️
- Revenue is not, nor should it ever be, a primary driver for ACM reaching licensing agreements with AI providers. However, if additional revenue is generated it will be used as additional support for all the meaningful work that ACM does. 🔬
#OTD in #ComputingHistory in 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law, helping accelerate the development and adoption of accessible computing technologies.
Over the years that followed, accessibility evolved from a niche feature into a core principle of technology design. Help us celebrate #DisabilityPrideMonth: https://www.acm.org/diversity-inclusion/awareness-month/disability-awareness-month #HCI #ACM #Accessibility
What's "chaos engineering," and why do we need it?
Find out in this episode of #ACMBytecast with Kelly Shortridge, Chief Product Officer at Fastly, wherever you get your podcast.
HBD, Vint Cerf! Cerf received the 2004 #ACMTuringAward with Bob Kahn for pioneering work on internetworking, including the design and implementation of the Internet's basic communications protocols, TCP/IP, and for inspired leadership in networking: https://amturing.acm.org/award_winners/cerf_1083211.cfm
iPad, hyperlinks ... so many inventions wouldn't have existed without publicly funded science. In her CACM opinion piece, Caro Williams-Pierce discusses why publicly funded research will result in incredible breakthroughs for society.
Read it here: https://cacm.acm.org/opinion/communicating-the-value-of-publicly-funded-science/
First up in our Disability Pride ACM Recommended Reads: "Against Technoableism" by Ashley Shew. Shew invites us to rethink disability technologies and challenge the harmful belief that disability is a liability.
Follow along all month as we share more recommended reads celebrating #DisabilityPride! https://bit.ly/4wFgEI9
HBD to Konrad Zuse, who was born today in 1910. Konrad Zuse built the Z3, the world's first fully operational, programmable digital computer. Zuse used binary code for his hardware, a breakthrough at the time. He later created Plankalkül, the world's first high-level programming language.
We are delighted to announce that Alison Derbenwick Miller has been named ACM’s new Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director, effective August 3, 2026! 🌐
Bringing over three decades of executive leadership and a deep history as a dedicated ACM volunteer, Alison is uniquely positioned to guide ACM into its next chapter.
Is AI conscious? Check out #ACMFellow Eric Allman's thoughts in #ACMBytecast Episode 85 here or wherever you get your #podcast.
https://learning.acm.org/bytecast/ep85-eric-allman
#coding #Claude #computing #tech #innovation
The use of AI coding tools continues to accelerate even as trust declines and risks proliferate. How are their vulnerabilities increasing due to AI coding, and what to do about them? Learn more: https://buff.ly/G3j4sSI #CACM #TechNews
Next up in our Disability Pride ACM Recommended Reads: "Designing Disability" by Elizabeth Guffey. Discover how design, culture, and disability history were shaped by the International Symbol of Access icon. ♿️
Follow along all month as we explore more books that celebrate #DisabilityPride!
https://bit.ly/4wFgEI9
Today in 1926 #ACMTuringAward recipient Fernando J. Corbato was born. He received the award in 1990 for his pioneering work organizing the concepts and leading the development of the general-purpose, large-scale, time-sharing and resource-sharing computer systems, CTSS and Multics. Many of Corbato’s ideas are now ingrained in computer science ideology, including: dynamic linking; hierarchical file systems; and paging and segmentation. https://buff.ly/faELhos
How many times have you walked through an automatic door or used a ramp for a stroller?
"Accessible America: A History of Disability and Design" by Bess Williamson shows how accessible design impacts our daily lives.
Follow along all month as we explore more books that celebrate #DisabilityPride!
https://bit.ly/4wFgEI9
You can still register for the ACM #SIGGRAPH2026 Computer Animation Festival! Recognized as a premier showcase for innovation in computer graphics and animation, the festival highlights work that pushes the boundaries of creativity and technology while celebrating the artists behind it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZxtmZHJaVk
Explore the full program and see what's coming to SIGGRAPH 2026: https://s2026.conference-schedule.org/
Register now: https://s2026.siggraph.org/register/
#OTD in 1945, Edmund Melson Clarke was born. Clarke received the 2007 #ACMTuringAward with E. Allen Emerson and Joseph Sifakis, for their role in developing Model-Checking into a highly effective verification technology that is widely adopted in the hardware and software industries.
Model checking is widely used to verify designs for integrated circuits, computer networks, and software. It has made the technology that underpins modern life possible. https://amturing.acm.org/award_winners/clarke_1167964.cfm
Thank you to everyone who has shared feedback on the recent @ACM@mastodon.acm.org opinion piece discussing the ACM Digital Library & LLM training. 💬
In this CACM article, ACM President Elisa Bertino continues the conversation on opening the ACM Digital Library to LLM training: https://cacm.acm.org/news/a-message-to-the-acm-community/
#OTD in #ComputingHistory in 1996, AT&T and Microsoft partnered to distribute Internet Explorer. The deal expanded the browser's reach and marked a major turning point in the race to dominate the early Web.
Explore more #computing milestones: https://www.acm.org/education/otd-in-computing-history
Huge thanks to all who made #GECCO2026 a success! To our fantastic participants, organizers, sponsors, exhibitors, volunteers, and attendees: Your contributions made it unforgettable. Let's keep shaping the future of genetic and evolutionary computation together! 🚀 #ThankYou
"Code is like a house, and people have to live in it, often for much longer than you expect. You may not be able to predict how it will be used in the future, but you can decide whether those future changes will be painful or straightforward."
Read more on building malleable systems from our popular #Substack newsletter: https://open.substack.com/pub/theofficialacm/p/design-for-change-building-malleable?r=6w5qsy&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
On this day in 1913, Maurice V. Wilkes was born. Wilkes is best known as the builder and designer of the EDSAC, the first computer with an internally stored program. He received the 1967 #ACMTuringAward for his many contributions to the field of #computerscience: https://amturing.acm.org/award_winners/wilkes_1001395.cfm
✨ That's a wrap on ACM SIGMOD/PODS Conference 2026! We're thrilled to have brought together database researchers, practitioners, developers, and users to explore cutting-edge ideas and results, and to exchange techniques, tools, and experiences.
A huge thank you to all our attendees, presenters, sponsors, and organizers for making the conference a resounding success! 👏🚀
Happy birthday, Robert E. Tarjan! With John E. Hopcroft, Tarjan received the 1986 #ACMTuringAward for fundamental achievements in the design and analysis of algorithms and data structures. His work laid the foundation for efficient problem-solving, influencing generations of researchers in computer science. Visit Tarjan’s ACM profile, here: https://amturing.acm.org/award_winners/tarjan_1092048.cfm
As AI agents transition from simple coding assistants to end-to-end engineers, the profession is shifting from writing syntax to auditing complex systems. If AI can now write, debug, and deploy software for near-zero cost, what is the impact on human software development professionals?
Find out via #CACM: https://buff.ly/GSrW4Pl #TechNews
#OTD in 1928, #ACMTuringAward recipient Juris Hartmanis was born. Hartmanis and Richard E. Stearns received the award in 1993 in recognition of their paper which established the foundations for the field of computational complexity theory. He discusses their collaboration: https://youtu.be/PkjXQzjt42A?si=QaGN-tQueVvy6X2z
Happy Birthday, Richard E. Stearns! Stearns received the 1993 #ACMTuringAward with Juris Hartmanis in recognition of their seminal paper which established the foundations for the field of computational complexity theory.
In this video, Stearns describes how he and Harmanis discovered the breakthroughs that contributed to their paper. The full video is here: https://youtu.be/Z-Ek0CCThZQ?si=3N5QU1RNmNqJb8ia
Congratulations to Nicki Washington on receiving the 2025 ACM Frances E. Allen Award for Outstanding Mentoring! A professor at Duke University, she is recognized for exceptional commitment to diversifying the computing community at all education levels, demonstrating creativity and breadth in her approaches.
Learn more: https://awards.acm.org/about/2025-allen
On this day in 1941, Amir Pnueli was born. He received the 1996 #ACMTuringAward for seminal work introducing temporal logic into computing science and for outstanding contributions to program and system verification: https://amturing.acm.org/award_winners/pnueli_4725172.cfm
✨ That's a wrap on the Festival of Learning 2026! We're thrilled to have brought together academic communities in AI, Education, Learning Sciences, and Human-Computer Interaction.
A huge thank you to all our attendees, presenters, sponsors, and organizers for making the conference a resounding success! 🚀
This week’s People of ACM features Anicia Peters, an HCI expert and Africa representative of ACM's Global Engagement Board. Read the interview here: https://www.acm.org/articles/people-of-acm/2026/anicia-peters
Advances in materials and science are pushing optical cooling out of the lab and closer to actual semiconductors and other electronic systems.
Learn more: https://buff.ly/jlBGAmA #CACM #TechNews
Ever wonder what happened at this year's ACM Awards Banquet afterparty? From brilliant researchers exchanging ideas over drinks to fun group photos, the energy didn't slow down.
Check out the unforgettable highlights 👇️
For more: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCXuEP
"The easiest way to avoid the second-system effect is the most obvious: Don’t do it. But like any good rule of thumb, there have to be exceptions. How do you know when it’s the right thing to do?"
Learn more from our popular newsletter, "Queue: In Practice":
https://buff.ly/2zM3R6S
What is information? How to use quantum mechanics for cryptography?
Find out the answers in our latest interview with #ACMTuringAward recipients Charles H. Bennett and Gilles Brassard.
Watch the laureates discuss details of their work and explain how quantum information science provides a new way to communicate information.
For full video, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cYKffEf95Y
Congratulations to Srinivas Devadas on receiving the 2026 ACM-IEEE CS Eckert-Mauchly Award! Devadas, the Webster Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is cited for pioneering contributions to secure architectures with broad industrial and academic impact.
Learn more here: https://buff.ly/bgicSPM
Huge thanks to all who made #TEI2026 a success! To our fantastic participants, organizers, sponsors, exhibitors, volunteers, and attendees: Your contributions made it unforgettable. Let's keep shaping the future of tangible, embedded, and embodied interaction together! 🚀 #ThankYou
Credit to the TEI Conference, Hiroshi Ishii, Hyejun Y
"Even when you write a paper about a pretty obviously significant theoretical idea, people don’t take you seriously until you build it and do an experiment."
What's in our latest edition of #AdvancesInComputing:
- the much-anticipated conversation with the 2025 #ACMTuringAward recipients;
- A.I. for software engineering;
- exploring the relationship between technology, joy, and justice
& more.
Grab a copy via #Substack📜 : https://open.substack.com/pub/theofficialacm/p/what-led-you-to-that-insight?r=6w5qsy&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
“We started investing in AI training not because it’s a trend, but because we saw real fear in the team,” said Alexey Karnaukh. “People thought AI would replace them, and because of this, they either ignored the tools or used them very superficially.”
Learn more about the benefits of AI training for employees: https://buff.ly/SutWTmw #CACM #CareerNews
What is "vibe coding?" And what are the pros and cons of using AI to generate code? Find out the answers in the latest issue of #TechBrief, presented by the ACM Technology Policy Council.
Download here: https://buff.ly/PLDCcTd
In our latest #newsletter #AdvancesInComputing:
- one of the most important skills in the Agentic-SE era
- the benefits, risks, and pitfalls of AI summarization
- rethinking Boredom and Idleness in a Technology-Driven World
Subscribe via Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/theofficialacm/p/what-is-one-of-the-most-important?r=6w5qsy&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
#OTD in in 1968, the first U.S. software patent was granted. U.S. Patent No. 3,380,029 was issued to Martin Goetz for a method of sorting data on a computer, recognizing software as protectable intellectual property: https://buff.ly/NpwR85K
Congratulations to Akshitha Sriraman of Carnegie Mellon University on receiving the 2026 CRA Anita Borg Early Career Award! Sriraman's research has been awarded multiple dissertation honors, including distinctions from ACM SIGARCH/TCCA and ACM SIGOPS. Learn more: https://buff.ly/vGqJsFj
Join us at the 2026 ACM AI Leadership Summit! From August 30 to September 2, researchers, practitioners, industry leaders, educators, and policymakers will gather in Atlanta, Georgia to explore how AI can be developed and deployed responsibly to advance science and society. Secure your spot today: https://aisummit26.acm.org/registration/
#ACMAISummit