There are several airliners that can perform automatic landings smoother than just about any pilot. There are several fighter and research type aircraft that are built so dynamically unstable to enhance maneuverability that it isn't humanly possible for a pilot to fly the plane without going through a computer. If there is a computer lockup or electrical failure, the pilot will have to eject or die.

This technology isn't new but it can be tricky to design and implement. I know of several fighter prototypes that were lost or almost lost due to errors in the flight control software, including the YF-16, YF-22, Saab Grippen.

The key concern with fully automatic systems and perhaps no human backup is how well the systems perform during a malfunction. Back in the 1980s, there was a mid-air collision between a couple of Israeli F-15s and some A-4s doing dogfighting practice. One of the F-15 pilots managed to land his plane despite only having less than 2 feet of his right wing still attached. It was the damnest thing I ever saw. He did it by using auxillary trim controls and playing with the power settings. He didn't even know his wing was missing! The Air Force spent years trying to develop a system that could automatically remap the control system in the event of a malfunction or combat. To the best of my knowledge, they never succeeded.

Things break on airplanes and spacecraft. The key to safety for automatic flight controls will be how well it handles malfunctions.