Anthropic CEO Floats Tax on AI Firms to Fund Universal Income

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei called on governments to tax AI companies to fund a universal basic income and introduce employee retention incentives to account for the potential impact the technology could have on the labor market.

In a five-point blog post covering the potential policy responses to the “AI exponential,” referring to the rapid improvement in the technology’s capabilities, Amodei urged governments to develop regulatory and tax solutions to cushion its disruption.

A universal basic income funded through taxing “relevant companies” or raising the capital gains tax could be necessary, if AI results in widespread job displacement and permanently reduces labor demand, he said.

“Broadly speaking, fast economic growth should create the tax base for shared prosperity,” wrote Amodei.

• Anthropic is one of the leading AI companies, alongside OpenAI and the traditional Big Tech companies like Microsoft and Google. Its CEO Amodei has previously offered grim prognoses on AI’s impact on the labor force, suggesting it could wipe out half of entry-level white collar jobs within five years.
• Governments should also consider “pro-employment incentives” to dissuade companies from replacing labor with AI, Amodei wrote.
• The Anthropic CEO called for “retention tax incentives to encourage employers not to make layoffs,” alongside wage insurance policies that would compensate people forced to take a lower paying job.