[eru]

> Isn't the argument from the article that the pilots are just idly chatting all the way down because of excessive automation?

We can make them play computer games that test their attention.

[the_af]

I actually thought something similar while typing my first reply. What if they gave pilots some sort of busywork to keep them engaged? But I guess it wouldn't work; as soon as you identify something as busywork, you stop giving it your full attention.

[eru]

In trains they have busywork to test your attention. (I rode a simulator once, it's like a flight simulator but for locomotives.)

There's a deadman pedal that you need to keep pressed to keep the train moving. Once every half a minute, you need to lift your feet of the pedal. If you fail, the train will soon break and come to a halt.