Andrew Yang and Chris Hughes Debate: “Will AI Make Work Obsolete?”

Live Debate from Open to Debate and Johns Hopkins SNF Agora Institute at the Hopkins Bloomberg Center in Washington DC, Wednesday February 25

On February 25 in Washington DC, former presidential candidate Andrew Yang and Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes will debate a question that could fundamentally reshape our future: "Will AI Make Work Obsolete?" Yang will argue yes; Hughes will argue no. (Each will debate alongside a partner to be announced.)

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. While there will be disruptions to segments of the job market, history has shown that even in the wake of large-scale shifts, such as during the industrial and information revolutions, the individual drive to work remained powerful. Instead, technology often boosted productivity and work changed but did not disappear.

The event comes from Open to Debate and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University and is the fifth debate in their ongoing partnership, "The Hopkins Forum." It will take place on Wednesday, February 25, at 6:45 PM ET at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center (555 Pennsylvania Avenue NW) in Washington D.C. Media are invited to attend and can email [email protected] for access. The event will be recorded for later broadcast on the Open to Debate public radio show and podcast.

TThe event follows the launch of The Hopkins Forum last year with four live debates in both Washington DC and Baltimore. In the first debate, Jeff Sessions, Jeff Flake, Cristina Rodriguez, and Jamal Greene debated the future of the Supreme Court. In the second, former Congressman and CIA officer Will Hurd and State Department veteran Susan Thornton debated the US-China A.I. arms race. In the third, former CDC director Tom Frieden, influencer Doctor Mike Varshavski, former Surgeon General Jerome Adams, and emergency medicine physician Dara Kass debated whether COVID was a public health failure. The fourth and most recent debate saw tech policy experts debating the government breaking up Big Tech. This year will see four more debates in the Hopkins Forum series, including this coming event, produced in DC and Baltimore.

DEBATER BIOS

ARGUING YES:

Andrew Yang: Founder of the Forward Party, Former Presidential Candidate
Andrew Yang is a serial entrepreneur who was a Democratic presidential candidate in 2020. He is the founder of Humanity Forward and Venture for America, and is also the CEO of Noble Mobile. His New York Times bestseller The War on Normal People helped introduce the idea of universal basic income into the mainstream, and his most recent book, Hey Yang, Where's My Thousand Bucks?: And Other True Stories of Staggering Depth, is out now.

ARGUING NO:

Chris Hughes: Co-founder of Facebook; Chair and Co-founder of the Economic Security Project
Chris Hughes is an economist and writer who serves as Chair of the Economic Security Project, a leading nonprofit advocating for economic power for all Americans. He is the author of Marketcrafters: The 100-Year Struggle to Shape the American Economy, published by Simon & Schuster's Avid Reader Press in 2025.

Hughes, who was a co-founder of Facebook, holds degrees in history and economics from Harvard and The New School for Social Research and is completing his PhD at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. His writing and essays have been published by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, Time Magazine, and others. His first book Fair Shot: Rethinking Inequality and How We Earn was published by St Martin's Press in 2018. He lives in New York City with his husband and two children.

ABOUT OPEN TO DEBATE
Open to Debate addresses a fundamental problem in America: the extreme polarization of our nation and our politics. We are the nation's only nonpartisan, debate-driven media organization dedicated to bringing multiple viewpoints together for a constructive, balanced, respectful exchange of ideas. Open to Debate is a platform for intellectually curious and open-minded people to engage with others holding opposing views on complex issues. We know debate works to find common ground: On average, 32% of the Open to Debate audience changes their mind on contentious topics after hearing a debate. That's the power of debate done right, and at scale, it can change the direction we're headed in America. Open to Debate is broadcast as a weekly public radio program, carried on NPR stations including WNYC (#1 in the nation). Open to Debate is made available as a podcast, video series, and digital platform, and records episodes with live audiences nationwide. Learn more at opentodebate.org, and subscribe to Open to Debate's Substack to access more than 350 debate archives, explore exclusive content, and engage with our community.

ABOUT THE SNF AGORA INSTITUTE
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University is an academic and public forum dedicated to strengthening global democracy through research, teaching, and practice. Founded in 2017 with a visionary $150 million grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, the institute draws inspiration from the ancient Athenian agora-a space for open debate and deliberation-to bridge divides, expand civic engagement, and foster informed, inclusive, dialogue as the cornerstone of robust democracy.

SNF Agora organizes its work around three pillars:

• Discovery : Advancing transformative, multi-disciplinary research to address democratic decline and identify sources of resilience.
• Design : Collaborating with practitioners to develop usable knowledge that transforms academic insight into real-world impact.
• Dialogue : Creating spaces for inclusive civic discourse, public convenings, and educational programs that empower citizens to engage meaningfully in democracy.

Through its work, the SNF Agora Institute empowers citizens with diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and ideas to participate meaningfully in civic life. Its scholars and practitioners collaborate to address challenges to democracy, bridge divides, and cultivate democratic resilience through research, innovative interventions, and public engagement. For more information about the SNF Agora Institute, visit www.snfagora.jhu.edu.

###

For more information on Open to Debate, please contact Ray Padgett ([email protected]) or Mark Satlof ([email protected]) at Shore Fire Media.