The 2024 Robotics Roadmap, released on April 26, states that the United States, once a frontrunner in robotics innovation, now faces a critical juncture as it lags behind global counterparts in adoption and investment.  But there is hope if we fully leverage the transformative potential of robotics technology. A cohesive national strategy is essential, requiring coordinated efforts across industry, academia, and government.  Here are four ways robotics can ease long-term challenges in the US. Supporting the Aging Population With the aging population in the US, robotics can play a significant role in providing assistance and care for the elderly. Robotic companions, exoskeletons for mobility support, and automated home systems can […]

In another installment of CCC’s Weekly Computing News, we are sharing an impactful collaboration between The National Science Foundation (NSF) and Navajo Technical University (NTU). This partnership gives Navajo students the opportunity to build solutions for issues that help their communities.  Navajo Technical University partners with NSF center, creating new opportunities in materials research and education Since its inception in 2017, the collaboration between NTU and NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Center at Harvard University has opened new avenues for Navajo students to pursue advanced degrees in science and engineering.  NTU’s collaboration with Harvard concentrates on materials research topics crucial to the Navajo community. This includes the development of […]

The CCC held the Systems and Applications Challenges for the Emerging Bazaar of Accelerators workshop in August of 2023 in Washington, DC. The workshop was organized by Catherine Schuman (University of Tennessee, Knoxville and CCC Full Stack Task Force member) and John Shalf (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory), and was supported by Thomas Conte (Georgia Institute of Technology and previous CCC Council member). The workshop, which was attended by about 25 participants from industry, academia, and government, focused on the challenges associated with a future of computing with ubiquitous heterogeneous accelerators.  As the end of Moore’s Law has come and gone, future performance gains are increasingly dependent on specialized computer architecture. […]

The CCC Council’s Addressing the Unforeseen Deleterious Impacts of Technology (AUDIT) task force, composed of Nadya Bliss, Kevin Butler, David Danks, Ufuk Topcu, and Matthew Turk, synthesized the two blog posts they released last month into a Whitepaper that has been released today. The paper compels computing researchers to mitigate future potential harms of their technology by anticipating privacy and security concerns, bias’, and more.  Read this fascinating paper, titled “Addressing the Unforeseen Harms of Technology”, here.

The Computing Community Consortium (CCC) continues to be amazed by the accomplishments of our council members. On May 31, Pamela Wisniewski was appointed to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Information Science and Technology (ISAT) Study Group beginning in August 2024. The ISAT Study Group, established by DARPA in 1987, brings together 40 scientists and engineers to identify emerging areas in computer science and information technology, and recommend potential future research directions. CCC believes she is an excellent fit for the group due to her extensive work in advancing socio-technical interdisciplinary research in computing. Her contributions to CCC’s initiatives on AI accountability, the development of consent language for digital […]

Imagine a situation where an AI system labels someone as high risk without taking into account important factors like their low income, family responsibilities, and parental duties. It’s crucial to realize that most defendants, especially those from marginalized backgrounds, aren’t likely to pose a serious threat to society. Additionally, past infractions, especially those that occurred years ago, should not be the sole basis for predicting future inmate behavior. Judges need to be careful about relying only on AI algorithms because they can’t fully understand the complexities of human life and may not consider all the relevant details. Human judgment, which considers all aspects of a person’s situation, should always guide […]