I notice, incidentally, that many on here are choosing to mandate that to viable autonomous aircraft have to match the best of pilots like Sully in their strongest areas.
The reality is that most pilots are nowhere near Sully.
What matters is whether overall there will be less deaths with autonomous aircraft.
Not whether there will be different causes, because there inevitably will, particularly in the early stages, but whether lives and money (airlines are businesses) are saved.
Autonomous pilots will never be drunk.
Autonomous pilots will never be suicidal.
Autonomous pilots will never be tired.
Autonomous pilots will never be stressed.
Autonomous pilots will never be rusty.
Autonomous pilots will never fall out with each other in the cockpit.
Autonomous pilots will never misread a plate/minima.
Autonomous pilots will correctly carry out TCAS RAs
Autonomous pilots will never ignore a GPWS pull up.
Autonomous pilots will never fail to fly a perfectly serviceable 777 to a VMC runway.
Autonomous pilots will follow the rules/SOPs
Autonomous pilots will never break the law.
You need to judge any computer against the average, not the exception, and the average is very very average......