Is the Middle in the Wage Distribution Polarized?

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Is it correct to say that at the upper ends of the skill distribution technology complements, that means enhances one's productivity at the lower end, not so much? So to some extent, the wage effect is not going to be as large. And is therefore the middle being reduced dramatically, the employment opportunities and the so-called middle in the wage distribution? Is the wage distribution polarized? Is it by modal in any way?

David Autor of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the future of work and the role that automation and smart machines might play in the workforce. Autor stresses the importance of Michael Polanyi's insight that many of the things we know and understand cannot be easily written down or communicated. Those kinds of tacit knowledge will be difficult for smart machines to access and use. In addition, Autor argues that fundamentally, the gains from machine productivity will accrue to humans. The conversation closes with a discussion of the distributional implications of a world with a vastly larger role for smart machines.