The key facts
- Gates believes charity cannot replace a government system of social protection
- He proposed taxing robots and AI computing operations, since replacing people with machines is currently more financially advantageous for employers
- Earlier, in August, he already proposed a special tax on the use of neural networks
Taxes instead of charity
Microsoft founder Bill Gates has proposed raising taxes on billionaires so that artificial intelligence does not widen the gap between rich and poor. This was reported by Life.ru citing the entrepreneur's interview with the Financial Times, published by Fortune. In Gates' view, the technological revolution will bring huge profits to the owners of large companies and investors, while many workers risk being left without income. He believes that governments should primarily fight the consequences of mass automation: “The main responsibility for fighting inequality always lies with governments. We cannot rely on charity, which is voluntary by nature, as a system of social protection.”
Why replacing a human with a machine is more profitable
Gates named progressive taxation of the largest fortunes as one of the necessary measures. According to US Federal Reserve data cited by Life.ru, the wealthiest 1% of Americans own more than half of the value of stocks held by the population — so the growth of tech companies' market capitalization primarily increases the wealth of affluent shareholders. Separately, he proposed taxing robots and AI computing operations: employers pay taxes on employees' wages, while the purchase of automated equipment can often be written off as a business expense, making replacing people with machines financially more attractive. Gates proposes directing the additional revenue toward worker retraining and social payments.
A development of earlier proposals
The new initiative builds on ideas Gates has voiced before: back in August he proposed introducing a special tax on the use of neural networks to support people who lost their jobs, warning that the adoption of AI would reduce tax revenues from the working population while simultaneously increasing government spending on benefits and retraining. Under his plan, the new levies should not slow the use of the technology in medicine and education. Life.ru also previously explained why Gates doubted that tech companies could independently control the development of AI: he warned that the industry downplays the risks of neural networks against the backdrop of huge investments in the sector, fears the use of AI for developing biological weapons and cyberattacks, and advocates international safety rules and government oversight of the most dangerous capabilities of such systems. At the same time, Gates himself intends to give away almost his entire fortune to charity: in 2025 he announced plans to direct about 100 billion dollars into his own foundation, which is to spend these funds within 20 years on healthcare, education and other humanitarian programs.
