From Bernie Sanders to Bill Gates, Elon Musk: When AI Takes Jobs, Who Pays Humans? Time to Tax Robots
As AI and robots move closer to replacing most human jobs, US Senator Bernie Sanders is asking tech billionaires: If machines do the work, who pays the people? He warned that uncontrolled automation could lead to mass unemployment in the future and millions of people with zero income.
If artificial intelligence is taking over human work, why not tax it? That’s the question US Senator Bernie Sanders is now asking some of the world’s most powerful tech leaders and AI supporters, including Elon Musk and Bill Gates. As AI and robotics are advancing at a rapid pace and even replacing human effort in workplaces, Sanders is warning that society could be headed toward a future where machines create enormous wealth while millions of people are thrown out of jobs.
In a recent post on X (formerly Twitter), Sanders criticized the pace of automation, arguing that policymakers are dangerously unprepared for the scale of disruption that AI could bring. The Vermont senator raised a fundamental concern: If machines replace workers in industries, who will pay for health care, housing and food for displaced people?
“Why would companies like Amazon replace workers with robots? Simple as that,” Sanders wrote. “Robots do not need wages, health care, time off, sick leave, Social Security, Medicare or unemployment benefits. Perhaps it is time to tax robots and use the revenue generated to help working families.”
Earlier, speaking on CNN’s State of the Union, Sanders also argued about the disruption caused by AI, citing predictions made by tech billionaires themselves. Referring to Musk, he said the Tesla and SpaceX chief has openly suggested that “AI and robots will replace all jobs” and that working could eventually become optional. Sanders also cited Gates, who previously said that within the next decade, AI will be able to do most things and humans will not be needed “for most things.”
AI is the most consequential technology in history
Looking at a future predicted by leaders who are spending billions developing machines capable of replacing humans, Sanders warned that “If there are no jobs and humans will not be needed for most things, how will people find the income to feed their families, get health care, or pay the rent?” He said that “there has not been a single serious discussion in Congress about that reality”.
Sanders also noted that if millions of people lose their jobs due to automation, many will be left with “no income.” He also criticized lawmakers for failing to seriously debate the issue while AI systems are rapidly reshaping sectors such as logistics, customer service, manufacturing and software.
Meanwhile, the senator also described AI as “the most consequential technology in the history of humanity”, warning that its impact will fundamentally transform economies and societies. Yet he argues that the people driving this change, including Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos and Peter Thiel, are not losing sleep over how ordinary workers will cope. “They’re doing this to get richer and more powerful,” Sanders said.
