How design, policy, and human choice shape the impact of artificial intelligence. #SRP

Will artificial intelligence replace human workers, or will it empower them? Tech leaders and economists have long warned that AI is a “labor-replacing tool” that could automate millions of jobs. But this outcome is not inevitable. It reflects design choices, not technological fate.

This presentation challenges the automation narrative by revisiting a lesser-known vision from the history of computing. Drawing on labor economics, it examines the difference between automation (machines doing tasks for us) and augmentation (machines doing tasks with us), and argues that the future of work will be shaped by the choices of AI developers, policymakers, and users alike.

About the Speaker: Rob Reich is the McGregor-Girand Professor of Social Ethics of Science and Technology at Stanford University, with a primary appointment in Political Science. His work focuses on the intersection of political theory, social science, and computer science, with current interests in AI governance. He is a senior fellow at the Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence.

In 2024–25, Reich served as Senior Advisor to the United States AI Safety Institute. He is the co-author of System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot and co-editor of Digital Technology and Democratic Theory. He has testified before Congress and written widely for public audiences, including the New York Times, Washington Post, and The Atlantic.

Reich helped create the global movement #GivingTuesday and serves as the founding chair of its board.