Senator Bernie Sanders called on March 23 for Jeff Bezos to appear before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee to discuss plans reportedly involving the replacement of millions of American workers with robots. Sanders made this request in a letter addressed to Chair Bill Cassidy following reports that Bezos is seeking $100 billion for automation initiatives.
The issue centers on concerns about how artificial intelligence and robotics could affect employment across the United States. The committee works to legislate on public health, education, workforce issues and retirement programs with the goal of protecting health and supporting worker rights, according to the official website.
In his letter, Sanders wrote: “In my view, we must demand that Mr. Bezos come before our committee to explain to the American people why he believes it’s a good idea to replace millions of American workers with robots. We need to understand what will happen to these workers. Will Mr. Bezos be providing a generous severance package for them? Will these displaced workers be able to maintain their health care benefits? Will they be able to receive a decent retirement plan? Or will they simply be thrown out on the street in order to make Mr. Bezos even richer?”
Recent analysis by Cognizant estimated that 93% of American jobs would face some disruption from artificial intelligence technologies and that 30% could disappear entirely due to AI adoption—a marked increase from previous forecasts.
Sanders continued: “As you know, the pace of technological advancement in robotics, automation and artificial intelligence (AI) has rapidly increased in just the past few years. These revolutionary technologies will have a profound impact on the lives of virtually every worker in America… The American people are increasingly apprehensive about the impact that AI and robotics will have on the economy and their lives. Congress needs to act. The HELP committee needs to act.”
The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee influences federal regulations affecting health and education across the United States according to its official website. It also provides oversight over federal laws related both fields as well as labor policy decisions according its official site. In addition, it oversees agencies such as FDA or NIH while focusing broadly on policy within these sectors.
