The response to the ACM DL tiering has been swift. A petition to re-open DL metadata has gathered more than 1,600 signatures by now. The comments accompanying the petition generally express outrage at how “100% open” can mean closed data services. https://cacm.acm.org/opinion/the-centrality-fallacy-and-acm/
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Moshe Vardi
@vardi@fediscience.org
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How did ACM decide tiering the DL is in the spirit of opening the DL? https://cacm.acm.org/opinion/the-centrality-fallacy-and-acm/
Peter G. Neumann, Who Warned of Computer Security Risks, Dies at 93
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/17/technology/peter-g-neumann-dead.html
Marc Andreessen argued that “Technology is the glory of human ambition and achievement, the spearhead of progress, and the realization of our potential.” Well, I am not that kind of techno-optimist. https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3776757
A profound loss to the world, to Rice, and t o me :-(
Can AI contribute to the common good? Undoubtedly, but only if we amend our current, faulty reward function, I believe. That is techno-realism. https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3776757
I applaud the authors for their efforts toward shaping AI for the common good, yet I still find the article deeply techno-optimistic. To understand my concern, I suggest going back to a 2016 essay “Faulty Reward Functions in the Wild”. https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3776757
Are AI minds genuine minds?
Should Higher Ed be considered a public good? Absolutely, but only if it commits itself to the public good. @vardi@medium.com
In Memoriam: Richard A. Tapia
https://cacm.acm.org/news/in-memoriam-richard-a-tapia-1939-2026/
Pope Leo Warns of Risks From A.I. in 42,300-Word Encyclical
Q&A w. Moshe Vardi
The Scientific Legacy of Joe Halpern
Ask the Candidates for ACM President!
First batch of Q&A posted.
The diversity problem colleges and universities are not talking about :-(
For a tech-pessimist manifesto, see for example, the AI 2027 report, which lays out a scenario for how AI models could become all powerful by 2027. https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3776757
A new team will assume the leadership of ACM on July 1, 2026, following the current general election and search for a new chief executive officer. I believe this team will have to grapple with existential questions about the future of computing as a science and a profession. https://cacm.acm.org/opinion/whither-computing/