I was thinking about the automation when doing earthwork when I was in the field 20+ years ago. They tried some things. Like set up a laser to spin shoot across the site and the dozer blade had a reader that would tell the operator to go up or down. That apparently only works if the laser level was setup up correctly they learned.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_level

A quick google search of "laser grading" shows its still a thing attaching to heavy equipment.

https://www.starequip.com/construction-equipment-dealership-... https://www.burchlandmfg.com/products/lgx-laser-grader/

Construction Companies are pretty competitive and always looking for an advantage. They have some interesting ideas. (Using radiation to measure soil compaction was my favorite).

https://www.virginiadot.org/VDOT/Business/asset_upload_file7... [pdf]