Re "suggester", good one!
That's the way pilots should take it, for sure. The value in the Airbus FD, (can't speak for the later Boeings) is that it broadcasts what the auto flight system is thinking and what it would do if engaged. It should be just another tool, and not a compelling master.
The original issue at hand is the possible-noted effect the FDs had on the PF in the AF447 accident, now discussed at length elsewhere.