Originally Posted by
CBreezy
Obsolete in 10 years? That's a dumb statement. Airlines and cargo companies are flying equipment that is nearly 30 years old. Even if it took 10 years to develop a fully auto airliner (it will take far far longer), it'll take 20-30 to cycle all the old aircraft out of the system. Current tech isn't even close to being ready. We are probably 40 years away from that possibility.
I'll concede that 10 years is likely to be the soonest we'll see automation of cockpits, but I stand by the sentiment of my post. Once a pilot is no longer needed, we are obsolete. Culture and politics will determine how fast we are out of work.
Automation is coming, it may be 10, 20, or 100 years away. Before it's a completed process, our profession may undergo significant changes in terms of QoL and compensation as a result of management's automation leverage.
Given the current trajectory of machine learning, I think the OP is taking on significant risk by investing in a long term airline career. I'd at least recommend having a backup plan in case this happens sooner than later.