Bill Gates, the Microsoft Boss, one of the richest people and a major influencer, suggested a bold idea to tax robots that are replacing human jobs.
Eight years ago, long before ChatGPT became a household name and Artificial Intelligence started raising existential questions, Bill Gates suggested that companies deploying automation to replace human workers should pay taxes on those machines, just as they do on human beings for wages. Back then, it was a surprisingly simple yet bold proposal designed to address a problem that most people hadn’t even seen coming.

Nowadays, the worry that AI will replace human labour is a real possibility rather than a sci-fi scenario. Gates’s thought suddenly seems uncannily foreboding. Automation has advanced significantly in a variety of sectors, including manufacturing and logistics, and the resulting economic effects have sparked a global discussion. Taxing robots was a hypothetical thought experiment that has evolved into a significant policy issue.
If a human employee makes $50,000 a year, why wouldn’t a robot doing the same job be subject to the same tax? Utilising the money collected from these taxes to support social programs, retrain displaced workers, and establish new employment opportunities in humane industries like education and elder care.

Gates said, “We’re reaching a point where jobs are being replaced by machines, especially in areas like driving and warehouse work.” He suggested that instead of punishing innovation, we should focus on managing its effects on society. He believed that if automation was slowed down a little, governments and communities could better handle the changes in the economy. He also pointed out that companies alone can’t fix the increasing inequalities; it’s up to governments to take action.
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3 comments
Esharma
This is for sure the world will be in huge crisis in another 30/40 years due to advanced AI. Good coverage by The Mirror.
Jdhart
Completely agree with bill gates
Jvince
companies alone can’t fix the increasing inequalities; it’s up to governments to take action.