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4h ago

Sanders Plans ‘Robot Tax’ Bill as AI Job-Loss Warnings Intensify

He says the measure would target large firms that replace workers with automation.

Illustration by Tag Hartman-Simkins / Futurism. Source: Scott Olson / Getty Images
The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, where Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is ranking member, released a report this past week that found job displacement could hit millions in the food service, retail, office, health care, transportation sectors and more because of artificial intelligence.(JOSE LUIS MAGANA/AP FILE)
jobs economy robotics money politics artificial intelligence Bernie Sanders AI Startups workers
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Overview

  • The Vermont senator told the Washington Examiner he intends to introduce legislation creating a tax on companies that substitute AI or robots for employees, with details still to come.
  • His push follows a Senate HELP Committee minority report estimating that automation could displace about 97 million U.S. jobs within a decade after querying OpenAI’s ChatGPT on employment data.
  • Sanders frames the effort within a long-running productivity–wage gap, noting corporate profits have surged since the 1970s as real wages stagnated.
  • The robot tax is part of a broader agenda that includes a 32-hour workweek with no pay cut, worker-elected boards with 45% employee representation, 20% profit-sharing and employee ownership, stronger union rights, paid family leave, and a ban on stock buybacks.
  • Early reaction on Capitol Hill is mixed, with Democrats like Elizabeth Warren open to reviewing the idea, Republican Josh Hawley open to discussions, and GOP senators Rick Scott and Lindsey Graham signaling opposition while experts question feasibility and definitions.