Will AI Make Work Obsolete?

Will AI Make Work Obsolete?

From Open to Debate by Open to Debate

March 6, 2026 · 53 min

About this episode

The episode debates whether AI will make work obsolete or augment it.

AI can write code, diagnose diseases, design buildings, and create art. Tools like ChatGPT, Claude and autonomous robots are transforming industries once seen as automation-proof, fueling fears of mass job loss. Some argue that machines will become so efficient that they will one day replace most human labor. Others say AI will augment work, not erase it, and historically, people have feared innovation killing jobs, which arguably hasn't come to pass. Now we debate: Will AI Make Work Obsolete? 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 Join the conversation on Substack—share your perspective on this episode and subscribe to our weekly newsletter for curated insights from our debaters, moderators, and staff. Follow us on YouTube…

People in this episode

Host: John Donvan

Guests: Andrew Yang, Simon Johnson, Chris Hughes, Rumman Chowdhury

Topics covered

  • AI
  • work
  • job loss
  • automation
  • innovation
  • economics

Keywords

  • AI
  • job automation
  • Andrew Yang
  • Simon Johnson
  • Chris Hughes
  • Rumman Chowdhury
  • John Donvan

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Forward Party, Facebook, Humane Intelligence PBC, Johns Hopkins University, SNF Agora Institute

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