Bill Gates proposes tax on robots and AI tokens to correct automation bias in labor markets

In an August 26, 2026 essay on Gates Notes, Bill Gates proposed taxing robots and AI tokens, arguing that current tax systems favor automation: machine purchases can be written off immediately while hiring humans triggers payroll taxes. He said the revenue would fund retraining and a stronger safety net. The idea revives his 2017 robot-tax proposal, now extended to cover AI inference consumption.