Raj Reddy

Raj Reddy is an Indian-American computer scientist and academic, widely recognized for his pioneering work in the fields of artificial intelligence, speech recognition, human-computer interaction, and robotics. He is a University Professor of Computer Science and Robotics at Carnegie Mellon University.

Reddy received a Bachelor of Engineering degree from the University of Madras in 1958 and a Master of Applied Science degree from the University of New South Wales in 1960. He earned a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Stanford University in 1966.

His research contributions have been instrumental in the development of several key technologies, including the Harpy speech recognition system, one of the first systems capable of recognizing over a thousand words. He also led research in the areas of knowledge-based expert systems and machine translation.

Reddy has received numerous accolades for his contributions to computer science, including the Turing Award in 1994, which he shared with Edward Feigenbaum, for pioneering the design and construction of large-scale artificial intelligence systems, demonstrating the practical importance and potential commercial impact of AI technology. He was also awarded the Legion of Honour by France and the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India.

Throughout his career, Reddy has been a strong advocate for making technology accessible to underserved populations. He has actively worked to promote computer science education and research in developing countries. His work has focused on bridging the digital divide and leveraging technology for social good.