Try the political quiz
@ISIDEWITHQuestionsTechnologicalArtificial IntelligenceUniversal basic incomeAutomationRobot TaxLabor Economics•••Started 3mos agoActive 5hrs ago

Should the government tax companies that replace human workers with artificial intelligence or robots?

As artificial intelligence and robotics rapidly advance, economists warn that millions of jobs in transportation, customer service, and manufacturing could be eliminated. A "robot tax" would charge companies a fee for replacing a human worker with a machine, theoretically replacing the lost payroll taxes that fund social safety nets like Medicare and Social Security. Proponents argue this tax is a necessary survival mechanism to prevent massive wealth inequality and fund basic income for a permanently displaced workforce. Opponents argue that penalizing automation is a Luddite policy that will stifle American innovation, raise consumer prices, and cede global technological dominance to foreign adversaries.

+
Expand
+ Settings

Toggle voterbase

Statistics are shown for this demographic

Answer Overview

Response rates from 14.1k America voters.

65%
Yes
35%
No
54%
Yes
32%
No
6%
Yes, mega-corporations shouldn't be allowed to dodge payroll taxes and decimate the working class by plugging in an algorithm
2%
No, history proves every technological revolution ultimately creates millions of higher-paying jobs and makes goods cheaper
4%
Yes, a "robot tax" is essential to fund a Universal Basic Income (UBI) for workers permanently displaced by AI
2%
No, taxing efficiency is economic suicide that will immediately offshore our AI innovation to China

Historical Support

Trend of support over time for each answer from 14.1k America voters.

Loading data...

Loading chart... 

Historical Importance

Trend of how important this issue is for 14.1k America voters.

Loading data...

Loading chart... 

Other Popular Answers

Unique answers from America voters whose views went beyond the provided options.

 @BDSNMRK from California  answered…3wks3W

No, but incentivize human workers rather than AI/robots

 @BC23M5W from Arizona  answered…3mos3MO

It ultimately depends on whether or not the economy is structured in a way that people need to work to afford basic necessities, because if it is structured such that they do not have to work then no taxes should be need but otherwise yes.

 @BF277M3 from Alabama  answered…2 days2D

Yes, they should be taxed at the same rate of having a human working.

 @BDZTDDD from Missouri  answered…3 days3D

No, there should never be a "robot tax". Business taxes should remain at current levels... the business will pay more taxes based on profits when AI assists profitability. Current government programs can take care of unemployed workers until they find another job.

 @BDZ2F5X from New York  answered…6 days6D

No, but tax the data centers for electricity usage and emissions stemming from AI usage.

 @9M7NDLM  from New Jersey  answered…1wk1W

Only if completely replaced with AI. If they keep a balance of employees and robots I will allow

 @BDXLVZKfrom Guam  answered…1wk1W

Yes, but I would prefer if we ban ai in the workplace instead

 @BDXCPXPfrom Guam  answered…2wks2W

only if the loss of the jobs is so great that it justifies it otherwise no

Popular Conversations

Join in on the most popular conversations.

 @ISIDEWITH submitted…2yrs2Y

Israeli Bombings Kill 2,300 In Lebanon in 3 weeks

Lebanese authorities say Israeli bombing has killed more than 2,300 people and injured almost 11,000, mostly in the past three weeks, with Israeli attacks reaching areas far beyond Hizbollah’s traditional bastions of support in the south.The Israeli military has ordered people living in more than a quarter of Lebanon to flee, according to a UN calculation, as its fight with the Iran-backed Shia militant group Hizbollah threatens to engulf the Mediterranean country.Lebanese authorities say Israeli bombing has killed more than 2,300 people and injured almost 11,000, mostly in the past three weeks, with Israeli attacks reaching areas far beyond Hizbollah’s traditional bastions of support in the south.More than 1mn people have fled their homes in Lebanon in under a month, according to its government, a dramatic forced movement of the population in a country of only about 5mn inhabitants with a land mass smaller than the US state of Connecticut. Israeli forces began a ground offensive in south Lebanon two weeks ago, in their fourth invasion of the country in under five decades. They had already destroyed large parts of the densely populated southern Beirut suburb where Hizbollah had its headquarters, and killed many top militant commanders in air strikes, including former leader Hassan Nasrallah.Rema Jamous Imseis, Middle East director of UNHCR, told journalists in Geneva that “over 25 per cent of [Lebanon is] under a direct Israeli military evacuation order”. “People are heeding these calls to evacuate and they’re fleeing with almost nothing,” she added, saying that 80 per cent of the shelters opened by the Lebanese government — mostly in schools — were now full.

▲  1012 replies

 @ISIDEWITH submitted…2yrs2Y

A Moment of Darkness': Washington Post's No-Endorsement Decision Ignites Media Firestorm

Even though the presidential race between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris is neck and neck, The Washington Post has decided not to make a presidential endorsement for the first time in 36 years, the publisher and CEO announced Friday."We are returning to our roots of not endorsing presidential candidates," Will Lewis wrote in an opinion piece published on the paper's website. He referenced the paper's policy in the decades prior to 1976, when, following the Watergate scandal that the Post broke, it endorsed Democratic nominee Jimmy Carter. The last time the Post did not endorse a presidential candidate in the general election was 1988, according to a search of its archives.Colleagues learned the news from the editorial page editor, David Shipley, at a tense meeting shortly before Lewis' announcement. The meeting was characterized by someone with direct knowledge of discussions on condition of anonymity to speak about internal matters.Shipley said that he told other editorial board leaders Thursday by management that there would be no endorsement, though he has known for weeks. He added that he "owns" this decision. The reason he cited was to create "independent space" where the newspaper does not tell people for whom to vote.Colleagues were said to be "shocked" and uniformly negative. Post corporate spokespeople have not responded to multiple messages left by NPR on the subject.Former Washington Post Executive Editor Martin Baron, who led the newsroom to acclaim during Trump's presidency, denounced the decision starkly."This is cowardice, a moment of darkness that will leave democracy as a casualty," Baron said in a statement to NPR. "Donald Trump will celebrate this as an invitation to further intimidate The Post’s owner, Jeff Bezos (and other media owners). History will mark a disturbing chapter of spinelessness at an institution famed for courage."A similar decision by Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong led this week to the resignations of the paper's editorials editor and two editorial board members. Soon-Shiong said that he had asked the editorial board to draft a "factual analysis" of Trump and Harris' policies and plans. In her resignation letter, editorials editor Mariel Garza said the decision made the paper look “craven and hypocritical,” given its past reporting and editorials on Trump.

▲  1013 replies

About This Data

Based on 14.1k responses to this question.

These results come from iSideWith's ongoing political issues survey. We collect over a million responses per day, filter out duplicate and multiple submissions, and break the results down by political party, ideology, age, state, and census demographics (income, race, education, household).

iSideWith is non-partisan — we don't advocate for any party, candidate, or position. We report what the public tells us.

Read Our Full Methodology →

Cite Or Embed This Poll

Writing about this issue? Use the live data and link back to the full results.

Cite This Poll

iSideWith. (2026). “Should the government tax companies that replace human workers with artificial intelligence or robots?” — Public Opinion Poll Results. Retrieved June 17, 2026, from https://www.isidewith.com/poll/5558001761

Embed The Live Result

Preview