Who will pay taxes in the age of artificial intelligence? | economy

The debate over artificial intelligence in America has moved from the frontiers of innovation and standard corporate valuations to a more complex question: How will governments finance themselves if these technologies reduce traditional jobs and diminish tax revenues associated with human labor?

The New York Times reported that the growing capabilities of artificial intelligence and growing concerns about its impact on the labor market have prompted politicians, economists, and technology companies to put forward unconventional ideas to share the economic gains resulting from this technology.

These concerns are based on the premise that replacing part of human labor with smart systems may lead to the erosion of the tax base on which governments depend, forcing the search for alternative sources of public revenues.

Sovereign funds and stock tax

US President Donald Trump raised the idea of ​​the public getting a share of the fruits of artificial intelligence, saying that he would discuss with technology company officials the possibility of “giving something back to the public,” adding: “If we do that, the public will become very wealthy.”

In the same direction, Senator Bernie Sanders intends to present a bill that would impose a one-time tax on major artificial intelligence companies, so that half of their shares would be transferred to a sovereign fund that would distribute its proceeds to citizens, similar to the Alaska State Fund that relies on oil revenues.

The New York Times indicated that Open AI, in turn, proposed a model that allows the government to own shares in artificial intelligence companies and companies that benefit from these technologies.

But critics have warned that the state’s ownership of direct shares in these companies may create a conflict between its regulatory role and its financial interests.

Taxes on the technology itself

Proposals have also emerged to impose direct taxes on the use of artificial intelligence. These ideas include charging fees for the computer “code” that intelligent models rely on, or for data centers that consume huge amounts of energy.

Supporters of these proposals believe that increasing the cost of relying on artificial intelligence may slow the pace of layoffs and give labor markets more time to adapt to the upcoming transformations.

Democratic Representative Greg Cassar called for this approach, while Senator Elizabeth Warren proposed imposing fees on energy consumption in data centers. Andrew Yang, a former presidential candidate, has also called for taxes on artificial intelligence agents instead of human labor.

Robot tax or consumption tax?

This controversy raises a broader economic dispute over how to deal with technological capital. While some researchers believe that taxing smart systems could reduce rising inequality, others warn that such measures could hinder innovation and investment.

If the importance of income taxes linked to wages declines, governments may move towards expanding reliance on consumption taxes, such as the value-added tax in place in most advanced economies.

This debate reflects a shift in the nature of questions associated with artificial intelligence. The issue is no longer limited to who will lead the next technical revolution or which companies will achieve the greatest gains, but rather extends to how these gains will be distributed, and who will bear the burden of financing the state in an economy in which the traditional relationship between work and taxes may change radically.