AI could automate 300 million jobs globally, per Goldman Sachs. Past waves created more jobs than they destroyed — but this wave may be different. Will AI create more than it destroys — or hollow out the middle class? Two debaters. Assigned sides. Cross-examination. You pick the winner.
Tuesday, September 8, 2026 · 7:00 PM EDT
What's at stake
If the optimists are right, AI raises living standards broadly. If the pessimists are right, we're automating into a new Gilded Age with no plan for the people left behind.
Starting positions
These are starting points for the question. Bring your own reasoning, qualifications and perspective.
Contribute now
Record a 60-second take or write an argument. Your contribution can stand on its own, and the discussion stays open.
Start here
A 60-second video or a written argument. You do not need an opponent to get started.
Share only material you have permission to make public.
Optional
Choose whether to be paired. An exchange starts only after both people accept.
Pairing is not available on this page yet. You can still contribute or respond to a public take.
At a set time
Live attendance is separate from your contribution. Check the showcase details for any scheduled session.
Check showcase details“McKinsey estimates 400-800 million workers globally could be displaced by automation by 2030. Unlike previous industrial revolutions, AI simultaneously threatens white-collar knowledge work and manual labor, leaving far fewer sectors for displaced workers to transition into.”
“The speed of AI adoption outpaces human retraining capacity. It takes years to retrain a truck driver as a software engineer, but self-driving technology can be deployed across an entire fleet overnight. The mismatch between displacement speed and adaptation speed will create structural unemployment.”
“Every major technology wave — the printing press, electricity, the internet — triggered fears of mass unemployment that never materialized. The World Economic Forum projects AI will create 97 million new roles by 2025 while displacing 85 million, a net gain of 12 million jobs.”
“AI augments human capability rather than replacing it. Radiologists using AI catch 11% more cancers than AI alone. Lawyers using AI review contracts 20% faster with fewer errors. The highest-value work will always require human judgment, creativity, and empathy.”
The Format
Standard SuperDebate: two people, cross-examination, moderated from start to finish.
4 min · PRO · opening case
4 min · CON questions PRO
4 min · CON · opening case
4 min · PRO questions CON
3 min · PRO
3 min · CON
3 min · PRO · final case
3 min · CON · final case
— · You pick the winner
Don't miss it
The debate happens live with real-time audience voting. Get one email right before we go live, with the watch link.
Premieres
Tuesday, September 8, 2026 · 7:00 PM EDT
Open debate runs on the people who show up. Tell us how you want to be part of it.
Structured debates on the ideas that matter most. You score who makes the stronger case.
