I like the idea of we will always need Pilots.

We have autopilot and i'm sure if we tried could automate take off and landing of commercial flights.

But we will keep pilots on planes long after they are needed.

The Airbus A320neo can already takeoff, ascend, cruise, descend, and land all by autopilot. It can even download your flight plan from the airline's servers.

But you still need the pilots because the system can only handle the happy path. As soon as there's any blockade or strong weather change, the autopilot will just turn off. And then you need the pilots.

I would say software engineering with AI is similar: The AI can handle CRUD just fine. But once things get messy, you need someone who can actually think.

To fly a plane with 300+ passengers you still only need 2-3 pilots. That has remained consistent with the invention of autopilot. While we might still need a few human engineer experts, maybe we only need a few for small to medium sized companies? That may not eliminate the career for the top % but it effectively does for the vast majority of engineers.

We do automate lots about flying, not just take-off and landing. It's why a 4-engine aircraft in the 1960s required flight crews of 6-8 people just to fly the thing when they can be routinely flown with 2-3 today.

Autolands absolutely do exist.