Back in 2015, the Fiscal Times wrote an article describing a fear Bill Gates had. "He may be one of the world's pivotal computing pioneers, mentioned in the same exuberantly geeky breath as Steve Wozniak, Steve Jobs, and Tim Berners-Lee. His technological exploits may have earned him over $80 billion, making him the world's richest man. Yet even Bill Gates is somewhat concerned about the potentially destructive power of technology."
Point of order. Some claim Gates is no longer the richest. That moniker goes to a Spaniard Amancio Ortega, the owner of the Zara retail chain.
In the article, Gates describes his fear, like Elon Musk, of what they are calling superintelligences – "computers with cognitive and computational abilities that far surpass those of humanity."
I think Gates worries too much. Maybe he should find a job or something – get his mind off worrying about how the world, or at least humanity, will end. Last month I wrote of the fear Gates had that we will be wiped out as a result of bioterrorist attacks.
For now, though, Gates isn't so much worried that Terminators will rise up against us as much as machines, as they are have already started, taking our jobs.
Huh – look at me humanizing machines, describing them as they, as if "they" are taking our jobs, rather than merely being installed somewhere by a human. Interesting.
Gates does have a point. More and more positions currently held by people will be replaced by machines or software. Many service industry jobs will soon vanish as companies make the decision to install machines to do the work. Heck, when was the last time you actually spoke to a human stockbroker? That industry was transformed by machines long ago.
Machines don't complain about conditions, always show up, never sleep, don't take breaks and don't require paid vacation, sick days and compensation. And so far, they've been free from government meddling.
However, Gates has just recently chimed in on this topic. He really does need a hobby. Once again, the Fiscal Times has written about the latest musings of Bill on just how we might combat the wholesale theft of human jobs by these dastardly devices. Tax them.
Yes – tax the "income" the robot employee makes for the company. Brilliant! Actually – in a way – it kind of is, but not in the way Gates thinks. If you want less of something – tax it. Gates, on the other hand, believes robots should be taxed for another reason.
The Times writes, "the billionaire philanthropist explained that robot labor should get taxed just like human labor – primarily as a way to maintain funding for society's many social services." "You can't just give up that income tax," Gates said.
Some studies have suggested that within 20 years, up to 50 percent of human jobs will be performed by machines. So I suppose Gates is right to some extent. Robots will have to be taxed similarly to humans for the labor they perform.
I can't believe what I'm reading! The Common Constitutionalist advocating for a new government tax? Nope – that is not what I'm suggesting. However, I do see the reality of the situation.
We all know that government can never do with a penny less. One way or another our betters will figure a way to exact their pound of flesh. Just watch for it – a bill introduced by some leftist who suggests exactly that for exactly that reason. It is a fait accompli.
For all his big talk on helping humanity, it appears that Gates' fears really boil down to maintaining the existence of the current state of government and forced redistribution of wealth. Thanks, Bill, thanks for planting that seed.