If AI is so good, it’s time for a four-day workweek, says Bernie Sanders

Bernie Sanders, who introduced a bill requiring a 32-hour workweek last year, says technology should be used for the benefit of workers.

The Vermont senator shared his views on artificial intelligence (AI) and the future of employment in a recent interview with podcaster Joe Rogan.

As companies tout the benefits of automation, such as increased productivity and efficiency, Sanders argued that the time saved through AI tools should be given back to workers, allowing them to spend more time with their families.

“Technology is gonna work to improve us, not just the people who own the technology and the CEOs of large corporations,” Sanders told Rogan.

“You are a worker, your productivity is increasing because we give you AI, right? Instead of throwing you out on the street, I’m gonna reduce your workweek to 32 hours,” he continued.

Joe Rogan and I discussed the need to raise the insanely low federal minimum wage. pic.twitter.com/5h21E1RYSM

undefined Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) June 24, 2025

Companies are taking different approaches on how the adoption of AI should affect their workforce. Some argue that employees should use their freed-up time for other tasks to create even more value for shareholders, while others see this as an opportunity to save money by cutting jobs.

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has used the rise in AI-driven efficiency to scaremonger corporate workers, warning that many of them will be replaced by automation. Others, however, are already experimenting with a four-day workweek.

These include Microsoft Japan, which saw productivity jump by 40% during a pilot of a four-day workweek in 2019.

The 2022-2023 national pilot in the UK involved 61 companies and saw an 1.4% average rise in revenue during the trial period, along with a 57% reduction in staff turnover. The vast majority of the participating firms decided to keep the four-day workweek after the experiment.

"Let's use technology to benefit workers," Sanders said. "That means, give you more time with your family, with your friends, for education, whatever the hell you want to do. You don't have to work 40 hours a week anymore."

Last year, Sanders introduced the "Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act" that would require employers to pay overtime if they needed workers to work longer than 32 hours, or eight hours per day for four weeks.