--- title: "Bernie Sanders Wants To Tax the Robots That Replace Human Workers" description: "Alongside billionaires, outspoken senator Bernie Sanders also wants us to tax the robots — and honestly, it doesn't sound like the worst idea." date: "2023-02-23" modified: "2023-02-23" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/bernie-sanders-robot-tax" categories: - "Robotics" - "Robots and Machines" tags: - "bernie sanders" - "robot tax" - "robots" - "the digest" --- # Bernie Sanders Wants To Tax the Robots That Replace Human Workers ![Alongside billionaires, Sen. Bernie Sanders also wants us to tax the robots — and honestly, it's not the worst idea he's ever had.]() *\Image: Jeff Swensen via Getty / Futurism\* ## Feel the Bot Alongside billionaires, outspoken senator Bernie Sanders also wants us to tax the robots — and honestly, it doesn't sound like the worst idea. In a [*CBS* interview]() ahead of the release of his new book titled "It's OK To Be Angry About Capitalism," Sanders resuscitated the "robot tax" rhetoric [popularized by futurists in the 1980s and 90s]() that, back then, used to feel like sci-fi. The argument is pretty simple: in order to head off business owners from replacing paid human workers with robots and automation, governments should establish taxes that would disincentivize the practice to the point that it would be punishing to do so. For [years now](), Bill Gates has led the robot tax charge — and now, Sanders is, ironically, on the side of a billionaire. "This is a huge issue," Sanders told journalist Margaret Brennan. "There is a revolution taking place now with artificial intelligence and robotics. Millions of workers are going to lose their jobs — who’s making those decisions, Margaret? Do you hear a debate in Congress? I don’t." ## Worker Power In his book, as [excerpted by *Insider*](), Sanders offers a deeper perspective on his take. "If workers are going to be replaced by robots, as will be the case in many industries, we're going to need to adapt tax and regulatory policies to assure that the change does not simply become an excuse for race-to-the-bottom profiteering by multinational corporations," the Brooklyn-born Vermont senator wrote. The two-time presidential candidate emphasized in his "Face The Nation" interview that although he's not "anti-technology," he wants to make sure that workers are involved in the decision-making process about where and how AI and robotics should be implemented. If left unchecked, Sanders suggested, these technologies could be used only to benefit the already-rich to the detriment of the people who lose their jobs to automation. "We're talking about a transformational moment throughout the world and the United States," he said. "I want working people to be involved." **More on robots:** [*Viewers Worried Jason Derulo's Super Bowl Robot Dogs Will Kill Them*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()