German digital minister proposes tax on AI revenues to fund labour market transition

Germany's digital minister Karsten Wildberger advocated a levy on sales generated by artificial-intelligence applications, insisting the funds be used to manage the shifting employment landscape. He emphasized that growth and value creation in the country must be matched by tax contributions to finance retraining for new occupations, including in trades and healthcare. Wildberger cited the broader debate on taxing robots, noting Bill Gates' earlier call for similar measures.

The minister highlighted that companies worldwide are reducing staff as AI use expands, mentioning Standard Chartered's planned cuts of thousands of positions and the large-scale reductions announced by Meta and Amazon. A survey by the Ifo Institute in Munich showed that a growing share of firms view AI as a substitute for formal qualifications, fueling anxiety among early-career workers. Wildberger stressed that financing such transitions will require both economic growth and openness to new policy tools.