YouNeverStopLearning:
Right now, there are good reasons for us to remain in the cockpit. But how would the new "virtual" generation see this - grown up by playing FS2020 and PlayStation 40?
There will always be a need for manual intervention and the flexibility this affords.
For how long? NASA is already developing and testing autopilots to analyse and solve system malfunctions on F-15. Given powerful computers and good written software, a computer could handle an emergency far better than a flight crew. There would be no emotional interferences etc.
All this technology will turn against us one day ...