[the medical profession].......regard automation as an enabler and capability expander. It will not replace human judgement. It will be the same in aviation.
I wish I could take you on a 4 day domestic pattern to give you an idea of what an Airline Pilot actually does. Physical manipulation is a very small part of it. Pilots will be around a lot longer than the software designers think.
George, that is a good summing up of what good automation should be and why pilots will not be "automated" out of the cockpit.
From accepting MEL items, to reading the weather and NOTAMS and deciding a fuel load, a thorough walk-around, taxiing out, and then conducting the flight and avoiding weather etc: Pilots do so much more than "drive" the plane. The "driving" part, as you say, is a small element.