I've worked as an engineer for large autonomous aircraft for over a decade. The pilots play a critical role for managing the flight, but really aren't needed any longer in terms of keeping the aircraft flying. In one instance I'm aware of, an in-flight emergency occurred and the actions of the pilots (actions not per the flight manual) resulted in diminished capabilities for the autonomous software, resulting in a total loss of aircraft on the runway versus extensive internal damage to the engine. With more advanced systems, it's really safest to allow the software to do its best, even if the aircraft is disabled in some way.

That being said, within my portion of the industry, we've not seriously considered removing the pilot from passenger aircraft. We joke that the goal is one pilot and an aggressive dog trained to attack the pilot if he/she touches the controls. This gives passengers a feeling of safety, as the person in control of their flight is just as likely to die in a crash as they are. I think we will see a removal of the second pilot for most flights, and transcontinental flights having two instead of four. It's hard to accept the idea of the pilot being comfortable on the ground while passengers are experiencing an emergency aloft.