What about long stretches of mind-numbingly boring trans-oceanic flight? An autopilot can make the necessary, constant, minute adjustments to keep the plane on course without fatigue. A human pilot doing the same task will go slightly off-course and correct frequently, burning more fuel, all while building up mental fatigue. Then, as the plane approaches the destination and things get more interesting (altitude changes, more air traffic, geographical hazards), you’ve got a mentally-fatigued human in charge instead of a refreshed one?
To me, the land-bound equivalent is the real promise of the “driverless” car. It’s not very helpful in crowded, urban, rush-hour traffic. It’s when someone is driving the 552 miles of uninterrupted rural interstate between El Paso and San Antonio that an automotive autopilot would be beneficial.
