It must have been 25-30 years ago... I was the GMP man at Heathrow when the boss came up the stairs with a smart young guy in a suit. Eventually he sat next to me to listen-in so I asked what he was about. "I've been tasked by the CAA to find ways to replace ATCOs", he told me. His aim was, apparently, to replace ATCOs with computer chips and whilst he knew a lot about 741 op-amps (the ace chip in those days) he didn't have a singular clue about aviation in any way, shape or form. He became somewhat distressed when I told him he'd be better employed working out the EG list, which was infinitely more complex than controlling aircraft at Heathrow!