Bill Gates proposes robot tax, 'human reserved' jobs amid AI concerns

Bill Gates has outlined a two-pronged approach to address the potential societal disruption caused by artificial intelligence. In a lengthy essay, he proposed a tax on AI tokens and robots, arguing that current tax structures unfairly favor automation over human employment. This tax, he suggests, would help offset the payroll taxes employers pay for human workers.

Furthermore, Gates introduced the concept of 'human reserved' jobs, drawing an analogy to nature reserves where certain areas are protected from development. These jobs, such as childcare and jury service, would be deliberately kept for humans even when AI could perform them. He capped this idea at approximately 40% of jobs in its most aggressive form, distinguishing between permanent protections for roles like caregiving and temporary measures for workers nearing retirement who may struggle to retrain.

Gates contends that the current AI transition is fundamentally different from past technological shifts, predicting it could displace a significant portion of white-collar jobs within a decade. He also issued a stark warning that governments are unprepared for these changes and called for immediate action to establish new coordinating bodies, both nationally and internationally, to manage the transition responsibly. He specifically urged cooperation between the United States and China on AI risks. Gates is also likely to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping later this year to discuss AI cooperation.