New MIT Research Indicates That Automation Is Responsible for Income Inequality

New MIT Research Indicates That Automation Is Responsible for Income Inequality

A newly published paper quantifies the extent to which automation has contributed to income inequality in the U.S., simply by replacing workers with technology — whether self-checkout machines, call-center systems, assembly-line technology, or other devices. Recent data suggests that the majority of the increase in the wage gap since 1980 can be attributed to automation replacing less-educated workers.

When using self-checkout machines in supermarkets and drugstores, it is unlikely that you are bagging your purchases as efficiently as checkout clerks used to. The main advantage of automation for large retail chains is that it reduces the cost of bagging.

“If […]

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