Human vs. AI
I had an argument with my Aviation Logistics professor yesterday. He believes that within his lifetime (he's around 40-50) he will see pilots replaced by computers, probably some form of AI. Personally, I seriously doubt that we will ever be replaced. It would take some super form of a Bio-Neuro-Mechanical brain to have the decision making abilities of a human.
His argument was that if there are trains and trucks that are run entirely by computers, doing the same jobs that humans did with a higher safety performance, why can't the technology be applied to airplanes?
I countered with: Computers will probably be able to take-off, follow routes and land as well or better than a human. But computers base every action from a response. If events take place that confuse the computer, it will be unable to get past the diagnosis of the problem and won't reach the point of making a decision. Where as, a person may never be able to diagnose the problem, but they will be able to say, "Oh S#$%, I don't know what happend but I do know that I've go to land NOW!"
Personally, I'll never trust computers more than humans. Simply because I know that the human wants to survive just as much as I do in an emergency.