Rob Reich on Artificial Intelligence

Prof. Reich's talk will address a key question being posed in headlines almost every day. Will artificial intelligence replace human workers, or will it empower them? Tech leaders and economists have long warned that AI is fundamentally a "labor-replacing tool" destined to automate away millions of jobs. Prof. Reich suggests that this outcome is not inevitable—it reflects specific design choices, not technological fate. His presentation will challenge the prevailing automation narrative by recovering a neglected earlier vision in the field. Drawing on labor economics and the history of computing, his will examine the distinction between automation (machines doing tasks for us) and augmentation (machines doing tasks with us). He argues that the design choices of AI developers, the policy decisions of governments, and the adoption patterns of users will all determine the effects of AI on labor and society. And there will be time for questions when he completes his prepared remarks.

About the Speaker

Prof. Reich is the McGregor-Girand Professor of Social Ethics of Science and Technology at Stanford. He is Senior Fellow at the Institute for Human Centered Artificial Intelligence and co-director of the Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society. His scholarship in political theory engages with the work of social scientists and engineers. His most recent books are “System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot” (with Mehran Sahami and Jeremy M. Weinstein 2021) and “Digital Technology and Democratic Theory” (edited with Lucy Bernholz and Hélène Landemore 2021). He has also written widely about philanthropy, including, “Just Giving: Why Philanthropy is Failing Democracy and How It Can Do Better “(2018) and “Philanthropy in Democratic Societies: History, Institutions, Values” (edited with Chiara Cordelli and Lucy Bernholz 2016). He testified before Congress and has written widely for the public, including for the New York Times, Washington Post, Wired, Time, The Atlantic, The Guardian, and the Stanford Social Innovation Review. Prof. Reich is the recipient of multiple teaching awards, including the Walter J. Gores award, Stanford’s highest honor for teaching. He was a sixth grade teacher at Rusk Elementary School in Houston, Texas, before attending graduate school. He is a board member of the magazine Boston Review and at the Spencer Foundation. He helped to create the global movement #GivingTuesday and serves as Chair of its board.