I've been having this conversation with my engineer friends who worked at Uber since like 2011. I remember them sitting around a laughing at how they were going to replace me. I wasn't concerned then. I'm even less concerned now.
They were supposed to replace Uber drivers ages ago and all they have managed to do is about 5/8 of F all. I'm completely unconcerned about automation because our society can't get out of it's own way to make any kind of progress at all. Sure, you could replace a captain and hire IT workers who were qualified to work outside in dangerous environments to maintain automation infrastructure for cheaper. The thing is that those workers don't exist. They aren't being trained. Because of inaction and more incompetence. No one can even think that far ahead. That is how pathetic our society is. They won't even be available for 20 years or more. If we started now and we aren't doing that. We aren't even beginning to see the impact that not sending our kids to school for a couple of years will have and all the sudden we have an army of tech workers that are not afraid to get their hands dirty?
Our society is pathetic. Look at the airplane I fly. It's an unmitigated complete POS. Like you'd have to try to make something that is that big of a nightmare for everyone involved. The passengers, FAs, pilots, ground crew. It's horrible for all of us and we'll be flying that monstrosity long after I retire due to inaction and incompetence on the grandest scale imaginable.
I can't even imagine how we got to this point. A relative helped design that airplane. He died in the early 2000s in his 90s. All of the sudden we are going to not need pilots anymore? LOL our society is barely capable of functioning. Some would argue it doesn't at all. Our society is trash that is growing with a cancer esq rapidity that will only result in more misery and broken dreams for those smart enough to imagine a better future. It will never happen.
"Born to late to explore the world. Born too soon to explore the stars. Born just in time to browse dank memes." That's our reality. Anything better than that is just mental masturbation. It doesn't exist.