Bernie Sanders says if AI is coming for workers, it should bring a four-day workweek with it

Eugene V. Debs never lived to see ChatGPT, but the socialist labor leader who fought for shorter working hours would probably recognize Bernie Sanders’ latest pitch: If AI is coming for workers anyway, it should help them spend less of their lives at work, not just make billionaires richer.

Last week, Sanders and California Rep. Mark Takano reintroduced the Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act, which would lower the standard workweek for nonexempt employees from 40 to 32 hours, thereby pushing employers to shorten schedules or pay overtime for the difference. Sanders, who has advocated for responsible AI use and, more recently, pushed for a pause on AI development, has pointed to the positive benefits he sees stemming from the technology: an ease on American labor.

“At a time when artificial intelligence and robotics will radically transform our economy, it is imperative that the financial gains from this new technology benefit working families, not just a handful of billionaires and corporate CEOs,” Sanders said in an announcement of the bill.

The bill, initially introduced by Takano in 2021, still won’t guarantee every American a three-day weekend. Instead, starting at least six months after enactment, it would gradually lower the overtime threshold for covered workers until it reaches 32 hours following four years of becoming law. Employers could still schedule longer........

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