The ACM constitution provides that our Association hold a general election in the even-numbered years for the positions of President, Vice President, Secretary/Treasurer, and Members-at-Large. Biographical information and statements of the candidates appear on the following pages (candidates' names appear in random order). In addition to the election of ACM's officers--President, Vice President, Secretary/Treasurer--two Members-at-Large will be elected to serve on ACM Council. Please refer to the instructions posted at https://www.esc-vote.com/acm2018. To access the secure voting site, you will need to enter your email address (the email address associated with your ACM member record) and your unique PIN provided by Election Services Co. Should you wish to vote by paper ballot please contact Election Services Co. to request a paper copy of the ballot and follow the postal mail ballot procedures: [email protected] or 1-866-720-4357. Please return your ballot in the enclosed envelope, which must be signed by you on the outside in the space provided. The signed ballot envelope may be inserted into a separate envelope for mailing if you prefer this method. All ballots must be received by no later than 16:00 UTC on 24 May 2018. Validation by the Tellers Committee will take place at 14:00 UTC on 29 May 2018. Jack Davidson's research interests include compilers, computer architecture, system software, embedded systems, computer security, and computer science education. He is co-author of two introductory textbooks: C Program Design: An Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming and Java 5.0 Program Design: An Introduction to Programming and Object-oriented Design. Professionally, he has helped organize many conferences across several fields.

Most people are not very familiar with the concept of artificial intelligence (AI). As an illustration, when 1,500 senior business leaders in the United States in 2017 were asked about AI, only 17 percent said they were familiar with it.1 A number of them were not sure what it was or how it would affect their particular companies. They understood there was considerable potential for altering business processes, but were not clear how AI could be deployed within their own organizations. Despite its widespread lack of familiarity, AI is a technology that is transforming every walk of life. It is a wide-ranging tool that enables people to rethink how we integrate information, analyze data, and use the resulting insights to improve decisionmaking. Our hope through this comprehensive overview is to explain AI to an audience of policymakers, opinion leaders, and interested observers, and demonstrate how AI already is altering the world and raising important questions for society, the economy, and governance. In this paper, we discuss novel applications in finance, national security, health care, criminal justice, transportation, and smart cities, and address issues such as data access problems, algorithmic bias, AI ethics and transparency, and legal liability for AI decisions. We contrast the regulatory approaches of the U.S. and European Union, and close by making a number of recommendations for getting the most out of AI while still protecting important human values.2 Although there is no uniformly agreed upon definition, AI generally is thought to refer to "machines that respond to stimulation consistent with traditional responses from humans, given the human capacity for contemplation, judgment and intention."3 According to researchers Shubhendu and Vijay, these software systems "make decisions which normally require [a] human level of expertise" and help people anticipate problems or deal with issues as they come up.4 As such, they operate in an intentional, intelligent, and adaptive manner. Artificial intelligence algorithms are designed to make decisions, often using real-time data. They are unlike passive machines that are capable only of mechanical or predetermined responses. Using sensors, digital data, or remote inputs, they combine information from a variety of different sources, analyze the material instantly, and act on the insights derived from those data. With massive improvements in storage systems, processing speeds, and analytic techniques, they are capable of tremendous sophistication in analysis and decisionmaking.

Two species of'promiscuous' monkeys in Tanzania's Gombe National Park have likely been interbreeding for hundreds or even thousands of years, according to a new study. Using DNA extracted from the feces of 144 guenon monkeys in the park, researchers have documented evidence of ongoing mating between two genetically distinct groups. Guenon monkeys are known for their flashy colors and striking facial features, including large noses and bushy beards, which experts have long thought to be species-specific signals used for mate selection. But, the new findings suggest they might not be so picky after all. Roughly 15 percent of the population consists of hybrids, which are identified by their combined markings from both parental species.

The development of Artificial Intelligence is one to the most important events in recent human history. The final outcome of it, is still to be determined. At a moment when many might see the development of AI as potentially more threatening than beneficial, a growing coalition of researchers and innovators around the world tries to make sure that the opposite is the case. This movement towards "AI for Good", is gaining significant momentum and brings up relevant questions just at the right time. It also drives business and innovation in areas where Artificial Intelligence is used as a promising tool for sustainable development.

Kai-Fu Lee is the founder and CEO of Sinovation Ventures, a Chinese technology venture investment firm. He was named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people in the world in 2013. Before founding Sinovation Ventures, he was president of Google China and previously held executive positions at Microsoft, SGI, and Apple. While in Vancouver attending the TED conference, Lee sat down with Martin Reeves, director of the BCG Henderson Institute, to talk about the impact of artificial intelligence on companies, industries, and nations. Drawing from his new book AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order -- which will be released in September 2018 -- he discussed the case for the regulation of AI applications, how AI affects company and national competitiveness, and how CEOs might be underestimating the effect of AI on the future of work. A transcript of the conversation follows. We hear all sorts of extreme predictions about the possibilities for AI.

Niger Air Base 201 is expected to be functional early next year. The base, a few miles outside Agadez and built at the request of Niger's government, will eventually house fighter jets and MQ-9 drones transferred from the capital Niamey. The drones, with surveillance and added striking capabilities, will have a range enabling them to reach a number of West and North African countries.

AGADEZ, Niger – On the scorching edge of the Sahara Desert, the U.S. Air Force is building a base for armed drones, the newest front in America's battle against the growing extremist threat in Africa's vast Sahel region. Niger Air Base 201 is expected to be functional early next year. The base, a few miles outside Agadez and built at the request of Niger's government, will eventually house fighter jets and MQ-9 drones transferred from the capital Niamey. The drones, with surveillance and added striking capabilities, will have a range enabling them to reach a number of West and North African countries. Few knew of the American military's presence in this desperately poor, remote West African country until October, when an ambush by Islamic State group-linked extremists killed four U.S. soldiers and five Nigeriens.

Science fiction authors and futurologists often imagine a world where ubiquitous use of artificial intelligence (AI) in medicine means the end of physicians. In such a world, omniscient AI bots effortlessly diagnose and treat diseases, while various robots are busy performing life-saving surgeries. Many physicians, on the other hand, hold the view that medicine is as much an art as it is science, which makes it unique among other industries. They believe that efforts to incorporate artificial intelligence into healthcare are a fool's errand. The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle, at least in the present and in the near future.

April 13th 2015, Forrester came out with a report where they forecast that by 2020, One Million B2B Sales jobs (this is in the US only) will go. The suggestion being that certain (I'm not saying all) processes can be automated and with the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI), this automation seems only to increase. As Jill Rowley pointed out at the time, the introduction of AI is already happening as the first place people go to make a purchase is Google, which is Artificial Intelligence (AI) after all. OK before we start, you are already using AI and maybe you don't know it. So how can AI help us in Marketing and Sales?

Advance in artificial intelligence and automation could replace as many as half the financial services workers over the next decade, industry experts say, but it's going to take a big investment to make that happen. James D'Arezzo, CEO of GlenMOBILE VOICE TELEPHONY usage in Africa has remained stable and the situation is likely to persist at least until the end of this year – despite increasing adoption of Over the Top (OTT) applications such as instant messaging and social media platforms, dale-based Condusiv Technologies, says that's where things are headed. And the process will be complicated. "Unless banks deal with the performance issues that AI will cause for ultra-large databases, they will not be able to take the money gained by eliminating positions and spend it on the new services and products they will need in order to stay competitive," he said. Intensive hardware upgrades are often cited as an answer to the problem, but D'Arezzo said that's prohibitively expensive.