Fears that automation will kill more jobs continues to grow. An estimated 5 million U.S. factory jobs have evaporated since 2000 and most of those (88%) were lost to increased productivity due to automation, according to a study by Ball State University. But opinions about what, if anything, can be done to reverse the trend differ greatly. Real estate billionaire Jeff Greene, who hosted his second Managing the Disruption conference on the topic of job destruction and what to do about it in Palm Beach, Fla., this week, has some ideas. Last year, he raised a ruckus by saying that robotics and artificial intelligence would kill not just blue-collar factory jobs but also many white-collar careers.

Fears that automation will kill more jobs continues to grow. An estimated 5 million U.S. factory jobs have evaporated since 2000 and most of those (88%) were lost to increased productivity due to automation, according to a study by Ball State University. But opinions about what, if anything, can be done to reverse the trend differ greatly. Real estate billionaire Jeff Greene, who hosted his second Managing the Disruption conference on the topic of job destruction and what to do about it in Palm Beach, Fla., this week, has some ideas. Last year, he raised a ruckus by saying that robotics and artificial intelligence would kill not just blue-collar factory jobs but also many white-collar careers.

Since the 1970s, when automated teller machines arrived, the number of bank tellers in America has more than doubled. James Bessen, an economist who teaches at Boston University School of Law, points to that seeming paradox amid new concerns that automation is "stealing" human jobs. To the contrary, he says, jobs and automation often grow hand in hand. Sometimes, of course, machines really do replace humans, as in agriculture and manufacturing, says Massachusetts Institute of Technology labor economist David Autor in a succinct and illuminating TED talk, which could have served as the headline for this column. Across an entire economy, however, Dr. Autor says that's never happened.

WASHINGTON – Donald Trump blames Mexico and China for stealing millions of jobs from the United States. Despite the Republican presidential nominee's charge that "we don't make anything anymore," manufacturing is still flourishing in America. Problem is, factories don't need as many people as they used to because machines now do so much of the work. America has lost more than 7 million factory jobs since manufacturing employment peaked in 1979. Yet American factory production, minus raw materials and some other costs, more than doubled over the same span to $1.91 trillion last year, according to the Commerce Department, which uses 2009 dollars to adjust for inflation.

Equipment to sort recycled plastic is shown at the Repreve Bottle Processing Center, part of the Unifi textile company in Reidsville, N.C. HOW BIG IS THE PROBLEM? American factory production, minus raw materials and some other costs, more than doubled over the same span to $1.91 trillion last year, according to the Commerce Department, which uses 2009 dollars to adjust for inflation For jobs which involve performing predictable physical activities, the researchers say the feasibility of automation is roughly 78 percent. Research shows that the automation of U.S. factories is a much bigger factor than foreign trade in the loss of factory jobs A study at Ball State University's Center for Business and Economic Research last year found that trade accounted for just 13 percent of America's lost factory jobs. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

Manufacturing is still flourishing, even as machines do increasing amounts of work. Photo via Getty Images WASHINGTON -- Donald Trump blames Mexico and China for stealing millions of jobs from the United States. Would Trump disrupt the economy? This billionaire hopes so Trump says he'll bring jobs back to America. Economists are skeptical Column: Trump's outrage over outsourcing doesn't apply to his own merchandise Despite the Republican presidential nominee's charge that "we don't make anything anymore," manufacturing is still flourishing in America.