Is AI Coming for Your Job?

AI systems are now writing code, diagnosing diseases, designing buildings, and even generating art. Tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Google DeepMind, and autonomous robots are reshaping industries once thought immune to automation. Goldman Sachs has estimated that approximately 25% of the global labor market could be lost to AI, sparking fears of a job apocalypse. Will AI usher in a new era of prosperity and leisure or a future of unemployment and inequality? Some of those concerned foresee a future where AI becomes so efficient and productive that nearly every job with human laborers will be at risk, generating fears of mass unemployment. Other people see a tool that is transformative and can augment human labor. Even though there may be disruptions to segments of the job market, history has shown that even in the wake of large-scale shifts—such as the industrial and information revolutions—the individual drive to work remained powerful. As AI is being implemented into our daily lives, we debate the question: Will AI Make Work Obsolete? This debate was produced in partnership with Johns Hopkins University, and was recorded on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, at 6:45 PM at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center, 555 Pennsylvania Ave NW, in Washington, DC. Arguing Yes: Andrew Yang, Founder of the Forward Party, Former Presidential Candidate Simon Johnson, Nobel Prize-winning Economist; Professor of Entrepreneurship and Head of the Global Economics and Management Group at MIT Arguing No: Chris Hughes, Co-Founder of Facebook; Chair of the Economic Security Project; Author of "Marketcrafters" Rumman Chowdhury, CEO of Humane Intelligence PBC; Former U.S. Science Envoy for Artificial Intelligence Emmy award-winning journalist John Donvan moderates Visit our Substack to watch more insightful debates and subscribe to our newsletter. #AI #work #labor =================================== Subscribe on Substack: https://opentodebate.substack.com/ Official site: https://opentodebate.org/ X: / opentodebateorg Facebook: / beopentodebate LinkedIn: / opentodebate Instagram: / opentodebateorg TikTok: / opentodebateorg Open to Debate Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/bdzmz5xt Open to Debate Spotify Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/22tuxu7h =================================== 00:00:00 — Introduction: Will AI Make Work Obsolete? 00:01:01 — Foreword with Henry Farrell of the SNF Agora Institute 00:04:44 — Introduction of Debaters 00:10:07 — Opening Statement: Andrew Yang (Arguing Yes) 00:14:54 — Opening Statement: Chris Hughes (Arguing No) 00:19:13 — Opening Statement: Simon Johnson (Arguing Yes) 00:23:35 — Opening Statement: Rumman Chowdhury (Arguing No) 00:28:06 — Moderator Summary 00:29:54 — Are AI Capabilities Being Exaggerated? 00:33:46 — Which Jobs Are Actually Most At Risk? 00:37:40 — Optimism and Pessimism About AI and Work 00:42:26 — What Happens to Workers During the AI Transition? 00:44:49 — What Should College Students Do Right Now? 00:48:48 — Advice for Young People Entering an AI Job Market 00:52:03 — How To Protect Human Judgment in the Age of AI 00:54:44 — When Will AI Start Replacing Jobs? 00:59:35 — The Future of Physical Labor in an AI Job Market 01:04:38 — How Can Colleges Prepare Students? 01:07:09 — Can AI Make Us Happier in the Workplace? 01:09:00 — Closing Statement: Simon Johnson 01:10:39 — Closing Statement: Chris Hughes 01:12:25 — Closing Statement: Andrew Yang 01:14:10 — Closing Statement: Rumman Chowdhury 01:15:45 — Voting 01:16:57 — Final Thoughts 01:20:08 — Voting Results