2026-06-26 11:02:39
An employment expert has urged governments to introduce a tax on robots and artificial intelligence, arguing the move is necessary to protect workers and ensure the benefits of automation are shared more fairly.
James Reed, chairman and chief executive of recruitment firm Reed, said policymakers should “back humans” as AI rapidly transforms workplaces around the world.
Speaking to the BBC, Reed said businesses investing heavily in artificial intelligence and robotics should contribute more through taxation as automation increasingly replaces human labour.
He said: “The provision of those services is consuming huge amounts of energy and contributing to climate change.
“And yet we’re taxing employers who hire young people to pick up beer glasses in gardens.
“And not robots that people are spending more and more money on tokens to use their services.”
Reed joins a growing number of economists, employment specialists and policymakers who have argued that governments should consider taxing automated systems alongside human workers.
Supporters of the idea say a robot tax would help preserve public finances as AI assumes more tasks previously carried out by people, while discouraging companies from replacing workers too quickly.
Critics, however, argue such a measure could discourage innovation and slow investment in emerging technologies.
Reed believes artificial intelligence is already reshaping recruitment, with employers seeing a surge in AI-generated job applications.
He suggested recruiters are increasingly looking for signs that applications were written by real people rather than chatbots.
Applications containing spelling mistakes are now “positively sought after” because they indicate a human candidate prepared them, he said.
Reed also warned about the long-term consequences of widespread automation if governments fail to adapt.
He told the BBC’s Big Boss Interview: “I’m worried that we might end up with AI at its zenith in a world where we all live forever and we have nothing to do.
He argued that tax systems have historically evolved to reflect where wealth is generated, suggesting the same principle should apply to artificial intelligence.
Reed said: “I’m worried that we might end up with AI at its zenith in a world where we all live forever and we have nothing to do.
“We will all be and are so dependent on technology that the robots will be the things that are generating the wealth. And if you look at the history of taxation, taxation follows wealth.”
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