Bill Gates Urges ‘Human Reserved’ Jobs as AI Threatens Employment

Generative artificial intelligence is moving beyond workplace assistance toward systems capable of performing knowledge work and physical tasks, prompting companies to reconsider staffing and automation. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates says the technology can deliver major productivity gains, but warns that workers may not share those benefits if public policy lags behind adoption. The resulting disruption, he argues, could rank among the most turbulent labor-market shifts in modern history.

In a recent essay, Gates warned that white-collar employment could face significant pressure within two years. He called on governments to designate some roles, including work in health care and education, as “Human Reserved,” preventing essential services from being handed entirely to AI or robots. Gates also backed a robot or AI tax to fund worker retraining and social protections, though he did not specify a tax rate, implementation date or formal legislative proposal.