Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has publicly criticized Elon Musk's claims regarding a potential 'universal high income' facilitated by artificial intelligence (AI). In a post on X, Sanders questioned how such a system could be funded, pointing out Musk's reluctance to support a mere 5% tax on his substantial wealth of $817 billion. This exchange occurs against the backdrop of significant job losses in the tech industry, exemplified by Meta Platforms Inc.'s recent announcement of layoffs affecting over 8,000 employees, representing more than 10% of its workforce. Additionally, a report shared by New York City Comptroller Mark Levine indicates that AI could lead to a loss of approximately 110,000 private-sector jobs by 2027. In response to these challenges, California Governor Gavin Newsom has introduced a worker protection plan aimed at mitigating the impact of AI on employment. Meanwhile, Musk has downplayed the risks of AI-related job losses, asserting that Tesla is expanding its workforce and hiring engineers without AI experience at SpaceX.