The masses laughed at the thought of a flying machine...... I guarantee you if given the green light and with an accepting market that an autonomous passenger aircraft could be in operation within a few years or less.
The vast majority of aircraft crashes are a direct result of PILOT ERROR. It would be simple to take every other event and compile the data utilizing unconventional methods used to save or mitigate loss creating a database of logic based response to an event. Loss will always factor in, it will just be less when we remove pilot error.
Look this is a dead horse, autonomous flight is in our future for the commercial market. The demand is there in the freight world, after proven reliable passengers will accept it, just a matter of time.