Senator Bernie Sanders isn't buying the tech utopia that Elon Musk and Bill Gates are selling. In a video posted to X on Monday, the Vermont Independent took aim at two of the world's wealthiest tech figures for their enthusiastic predictions about AI and robotics reshaping the workforce.
The Automation Optimists Meet Their Skeptic
Sanders called out Tesla Inc. (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk for investing "hundreds of billions of dollars" into robotics and AI while claiming that "AI and robots will replace all jobs. Working will be optional." Musk has been particularly bullish on Tesla's Optimus robot, predicting it will enable a "universal high income" and even help reduce crime. The billionaire has suggested the robot could eventually perform surgery and recently stated that AI and robotics were the only path to making everyone wealthy.
Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) co-founder Bill Gates got similar treatment. Sanders criticized Gates, who has also invested "hundreds of billions of dollars" in the space, for saying that "humans won't be needed for most things" once AI technology advances further.
A Simple Question Without Simple Answers
Then Sanders posed what he called a "simple question" for the tech industry: "How will people feed their families?" if they have "no income." He extended the concern to healthcare access, asking how people would afford medical care without jobs. The senator noted that despite the sweeping implications, "There has not been one serious word of discussion in the Congress about that reality."
This isn't Sanders' first rodeo with Musk. The lawmaker previously pressed the billionaire on his roadmap for achieving the AI-enabled "utopia" he's been promoting, receiving support from Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif). Sanders has also voiced opposition to constructing AI datacenters, warning that the AI push threatens jobs, democracy, and public resources.
That opposition sparked a heated exchange with Musk, who called Sanders a coward lacking any "sense of adventure" over his datacenter stance. The back-and-forth highlights the growing tension between policymakers concerned about economic disruption and tech leaders racing to develop transformative AI capabilities.
The debate cuts to the heart of a question that's becoming harder to ignore: if automation really does eliminate large swaths of jobs, what's the plan for the humans who need to eat and pay rent? Musk's answer seems to involve some form of universal income supported by robot productivity. Sanders wants to know the details, and he's not seeing much discussion happening where it matters most.
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