Raj Reddy, a Turing Award winner and AI pioneer, proposes using artificial intelligence to enhance global productivity while protecting workers’ interests, according to an interview published by Susan D’Agostino in Quanta Magazine. Reddy suggests that AI could enable people to complete a day’s work in just one hour, potentially creating tenfold increases in wealth and productivity. He advocates for government policies requiring companies to maintain displaced workers’ salaries and repurpose them for essential societal needs. The professor, who has spent over 50 years at Carnegie Mellon University, also promotes mandatory health-monitoring smartwatches to prevent future pandemic lockdowns, suggesting governments could provide subsidized devices as part of public infrastructure.
The AI pioneer envisions using increased productivity to address global challenges in food, water, and electricity access. Reddy argues that while wealth distribution will remain uneven, the overall increase in resources would benefit more people. He addresses concerns about AI energy consumption by suggesting government restrictions on power usage would force companies to optimize their systems. Regarding privacy concerns with health monitoring, Reddy compares mandatory smartwatches to existing requirements like driver’s licenses and passports, emphasizing that proper anonymization technology could protect personal data.