The pilot is paid a lot because he has the knowledge and responsibility to analyze and react to problems in an instant. True, the aircraft has a lot of redundant systems, but the pilot has to know what its capabilities are with what combination of inoperative systems, and not be wrong. If you're the passenger on a jet landing with one engine in a crosswind leaking hydraulic fluid and the pilot stops the plane before the end of the runway without scraping the wing tips, who cares how much he gets paid?