I think there's a different way to explore this idea. I don't think automation had anything to do with the crashes. The problem was that the pilots weren't trained to know what tools the planes were equiped with and how to use them. Those crashes are like when I accidentally open a file with vim. There's nothing wrong with me, there's nothing wrong with vim but how the hell am I meant to know to hit esc :q? The lesson is orthogonal to automation. The lesson is that the pilots need to know what each system does and how to operate it. If the resolve of Boeing is to push forward with automation without taking the role of the pilot seriously, then this is doomed to failure, because automated systems will fail, and pilots will have to step in. It'll be rare, but that's what pilots are there for. Indeed, the more you automate things, the more liability you're inviting on yourself, which should be worrying for Boeing.