Imagine a world where robots and artificial intelligence take over many of the jobs humans do today. It sounds like science fiction, but Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates believes we’re already living through the beginning of it. In a massive essay, he's laid out some bold ideas to make sure people don't get left behind.
Gates is calling for certain jobs to be officially set aside for humans only, a concept he's dubbed ‘Human Reserved’ jobs. He got this idea partly from watching his father, who had Alzheimer’s disease. His dad was cared for by people who just knew what he needed, even when he couldn't say it. Gates feels that kind of care, understanding the unspoken, is something machines just can't replicate. No robot, he wrote, “could or should have done it.”
This isn’t just about jobs that need a human touch, though. Gates also thinks ‘Human Reserved’ jobs could be needed for economic reasons. If AI and robots start taking over jobs that millions of people do, those workers might struggle to find new careers. He pointed out that you can’t just tell a 55-year-old construction worker to suddenly become an elder care provider and expect them to be happy about it. It's about protecting livelihoods when technology advances too quickly.
Gates also believes some decisions to keep jobs human will be driven by other factors. For example, he said, imagine a robot delivering news about an incurable disease. Technically, it could do it, but it shouldn’t. He also thinks jobs in education and mental healthcare might end up being a mix, with humans leading the way, using AI to help them do more.
He acknowledged that different countries will likely have different approaches. A country like Japan, with a shrinking workforce and an aging population, might be more open to caregiving robots than other places. Yet, he stressed that these are big questions that need public discussion. Who decides which jobs are reserved? What criteria do we use? And how do we stop companies from just using robots anyway and calling it something else?
On top of setting aside jobs, Gates is also bringing back his push to tax AI and robots. He feels that current tax rules actually encourage companies to replace people with machines. By taxing AI and robots, he believes governments could generate funds to help workers who lose their jobs transition to new roles or support them in other ways. He thinks the way we tax labour versus machines needs a serious rethink.