A wise instructor once explained to me that modern cockpits turned the high workload phases of flight into even higher ones and the low workload phases into lower ones. Neither situation is ideal.
I have an ongoing concern that automation is usually seen inside and outside the profession as making things easier. And as a consequence automation is seen as a means to reduce training and standards. The reality is automation is a highly complex part of aviation operations which is just as hard to master as traditional skills such as hand flying. There is perhaps an argument though that it is easier to mask poor knowledge or procedures.
Pilots need to be masters of all the capabilities of their aircraft. If it has automation it is not acceptable to ignore it nor is it acceptable to ignore the manual modes or raw flying. Professional organisations must ensure that they support the pilots gaining and maintaining the skills and we as professional pilots must ensure that we take every opportunity to be the best pilots we can be.