Are planes today really that much more automated than 50 years ago?

[777Supremecist]

I am not a pilot, but I am a huge aviation enthusiast. I was watching on yt the other day about a cargo MD-80 pilot who used to once fly the 320 but then later voluntarily came back to the MD-80, when asked why he did it, he said it was because the MD-80 was more "fun" and was "real hands-on flying" compared to a computer flying itself.

I saw another video, this time it was a Canadian 737-200 pilot (yk those 737s in Canada that are equipped with gravel-kits and fly short haul cargo into gravel strips).
When asked why he prefers this specific career path, he said the same thing, that the 737-200 was much more fun to fly than the other modern airliners that he was generally used to.

This made me wonder, how much more automated are planes today compared to the past? How much more automated is an Airbus A220 compared to maybe a MD-80 or 737-200?

For pilots, do ya'll ever get bored in the cockpit sometimes? Maybe during cruise with the autopilot doing everything?

Do u guys ever miss the older days of jet-age, due to the less automation/more hand-flying and skills required by the pilots back then? Among pilots, is this modern trend of more automation generally hated or welcomed?

Finally, are ya'll ever concerned that even though this automation might not be able to completely replace pilots, it might still one day significantly diminish the pilot's role in the cockpit and reduce his importance due to more automation/less skill required?