Bill Gates is calling for taxes on AI-generated wealth and protections for human jobs, warning that businesses’ incentive to replace workers could leave governments with less tax revenue to support the people who lose their livelihoods.
Gates described the problem this way: “The incentive structure is wrong. It’s, ‘Hire the robot, fire the human, and don’t look back.’”
The Microsoft co-founder predicts that AI could eventually take over almost every kind of human work. His forecast extends from inventing things and office work to physical tasks performed by humanoid robots.
His concern is that an economy made wealthier by automation could also collect less of the revenue needed to help displaced workers. He’s proposing that governments tax the wealth AI companies generate to help pay for that support.
In an August essay, Gates also proposed reserving certain jobs for people, with rules preventing AI from replacing them. He says governments aren’t prepared for the disruption ahead.
For Gates, 70, the shift is already personal. He once wanted to become the world’s best programmer. Asked about that ambition, he said: “That day passed some time ago.”
He expects AI to play a growing role in discoveries across mathematics, science and engineering, and says machines already outperform people at some tasks in those fields. He described the development as an “evolutionary event” that could carry intelligence beyond the limits of human biology.
Gates also warned that controlling increasingly capable AI systems and keeping them aligned with human intentions could present “very serious” challenges within 3 to 4 years.
He sees potential benefits in faster drug discovery and shorter NHS waiting lists. He’s calling for legislation to help those benefits arrive while limiting the damage, and for the US and China to address some AI risks as a shared problem for humanity.