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Update

What changed

In a separate report on his Observer interview, Bill Gates warns that AI and robotics could displace skills across invention, office work and physical labour. He argues that governments will need new ways to fund support and retraining, even if overall prosperity rises.

Gates suggests taxing AI use, perhaps through a “token tax”. He also says he would have been willing to pay $40 billion in tax over his lifetime, compared with the $14 billion he says he has paid. These are Gates’s views and figures, not a settled policy proposal.

The argument shifts the question from whether AI will create wealth to who pays for the disruption it may bring. Should AI companies face a specific tax to fund worker support, or should governments use existing tax systems instead?

Sources and evidence

• Bill Gates warns the ‘evolutionary’ age of AI will be bru…: The Observer reports that Bill Gates warned AI and robotics could displace a broad range of work skills, proposed taxing AI use to help fund support and retraining, and said he would have been willing to pay $40 billion in lifetime taxes rather than the $14 billion he says he has paid.

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