Remember when complex transport-category aircraft had a flight engineer (FE) to manage systems? I imagine there was quite an uproar when automation progressed to the point where the FE became unnecessary and airliners were certified for two-person crews.
Now it’s happening again. Several initiatives are exploring a single-pilot airliner. There’s an old joke that automation will eventually progress to the point where an airline flight crew will consist of a pilot and a dog; the dog’s sole duty will be to bite the pilot if s/he touches anything. Are we now headed there?
