🤖💼 Debate Night #1 AI and Work - are good careers about to get hollowed out?

Short summary
Everyone already has an opinion about AI and work.
Most of those opinions are lazy.
Some people say AI will wipe out good jobs.
Some people say every technology panic looks stupid in hindsight.
Some people are quietly wondering if the entry-level career ladder is already being pulled up while everyone argues about productivity.
That’s the room I want.
Not “AI is scary” small talk.
Not “technology always creates jobs” clichés.
Not a LinkedIn optimism ritual.
A real debate about one question:
Over the next 10 years, will AI eliminate more good jobs than it creates?
This is not just about whether jobs technically exist on paper.
It’s about wages, bargaining power, junior roles, dignity, who gets protected, and who gets told to “adapt” while someone else cashes in.
Half the room will probably be wrong.
The useful part is finding out which half you’re in.
Prep
Please do the main prep if you want to argue hard:
Open to Debate - Will AI Make Work Obsolete?
Optional if you want more depth:
IMF podcast - AI’s Real Risk to Wages
ILO Future of Work - Artificial intelligence, innovation and the world of work
If you’re coming in cold, that’s fine. Just come curious before loud.
A few questions already sitting in my head
“Are we talking about job loss, or the slow hollowing-out of good careers?”
“What happens to junior roles if AI handles the basic work people used to learn from?”
“Even if jobs remain, does AI shift money and power away from workers?”
“Who benefits first: workers, companies, customers, or whoever owns the model?”
“Is ‘learn to use AI’ real advice, or just a polite way of saying you’re on your own?”
“What kind of work still feels safe - and are we sure?”
How the debate will work
We’ll start with a quick room vote:
yes / no / undecided
Then we’ll split the room by current lean:
left side = yes / lean yes
right side = no / lean no
middle / back = undecided / mixed
And yes, you can switch sides if your view changes.
That’s not weakness. That’s the whole point.
We’ll move through four rounds:

1. Job loss vs job transformation
2. Wages, bargaining power, and inequality
3. Entry-level jobs and career ladders
4. Who should benefit if AI creates real gains?

Then we’ll do a final vote and see what changed.
Not everyone needs to speak in every round.
Short comments are better than speeches.
Strong arguments beat loud certainty.
The room I want
Attack arguments, not people.
Respond to the strongest version of the other side, not the dumbest.
No dunking.
No dominance games.
No pretending uncertainty is weakness.
Changing your mind is a good outcome.
When and where
🗓️ Date: Sunday, May 10
🕒 Time: 3:00 PM
📍 Location: Central Library - We are meeting on level 5 south side room in the library
Cap 12 + waitlist