How long before quantum computers can benefit society? That’s Google’s US$5 million question

Quantum computing has huge promise from a technical perspective, but the practical benefits are less clear.

Adam Lowe, Lecturer, School of Computer Science and Digital Technologies, Aston University • conversation
March 26, 2024 ~7 min

Demand for computer chips fuelled by AI could reshape global politics and security

The effects of AI’s growth on global security could be difficult to predict.

Alina Vaduva, Director of the Business Advice Centre for Post Graduate Students at UEL, Ambassador of the Centre for Innovation, Management and Enterprise, University of East London • conversation
March 4, 2024 ~8 min


Spreadsheet errors can have disastrous consequences – yet we keep making the same mistakes

Spreadsheet-related errors can have serious consequences in the private and public sector. But what can we do to overcome them?

Simon Thorne, Senior Lecturer in Computing and ​Information Systems, Cardiff Metropolitan University • conversation
Jan. 25, 2024 ~7 min

Mac at 40: User experience was the innovation that launched a technology revolution

Apple’s phenomenal success and the field of user experience design can be traced back to the launch of the Macintosh personal computer.

Jacob O. Wobbrock, Professor of Information, University of Washington • conversation
Jan. 19, 2024 ~8 min

AI can now attend a meeting and write code for you – here's why you should be cautious

Microsoft Copilot can summarise meetings and even formulate arguments. But as good as that sounds, we shouldn’t blindly trust its accuracy.

Simon Thorne, Senior Lecturer in Computing and ​Information Systems, Cardiff Metropolitan University • conversation
Jan. 2, 2024 ~6 min

A new supercomputer aims to closely mimic the human brain — it could help unlock the secrets of the mind and advance AI

Neuromorphic computers aim to one day replicate the amazing efficiency of the brain.

Domenico Vicinanza, Associate Professor of Intelligent Systems and Data Science, Anglia Ruskin University • conversation
Dec. 18, 2023 ~7 min

What is quantum advantage? A quantum computing scientist explains an approaching milestone marking the arrival of extremely powerful computers

Several companies have made quantum computers, but these early models have yet to demonstrate quantum advantage: the ability to outstrip ordinary supercomputers.

Daniel Lidar, Professor of Electrical Engineering, Chemistry, and Physics & Astronomy, University of Southern California • conversation
Nov. 17, 2023 ~9 min

Does AI have a right to free speech? Only if it supports our right to free thought

If we decide that AI helps us think freely, we may need to give it rights too.

Simon McCarthy-Jones, Associate Professor in Clinical Psychology and Neuropsychology, Trinity College Dublin • conversation
Sept. 27, 2023 ~8 min


Computer science can help farmers explore alternative crops and sustainable farming methods

Conventional agriculture offers farmers few choices about which crops to grow or how to raise them. A new approach uses computing to construct better strategies with lower environmental impacts.

Michael Kantar, Associate Professor of Tropical Plants & Soil Sciences, University of Hawaii • conversation
Aug. 7, 2023 ~10 min

What exactly is the internet? A computer scientist explains what it is and how it came to be

Almost everybody uses the internet just about every day. But do you really know what the internet is?

Fred Martin, Professor of Computer Science, UMass Lowell • conversation
March 13, 2023 ~8 min

/

3