Is Automation Helping Or Hurting The U.S. Economy?

The argument for replacing humans with machines is often that it will make companies more efficient -- that it will mean more for less at the industry level which in turn, will be passed onto consumers.

But, according to two economists at MIT and Boston University, the reality is not quite so rosy. Instead, despite the increasing number of industrial robots and automation in the U.S., productivity is at a historic low. And, the people who've been losing their jobs to automation aren't getting new ones. We look at what it means and those who disagree.

Evan Horowitz, policy writer for The Boston Globe. He tweets @globehorowitz.