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There's nothing magical about it... With a manual, there are two free parameters: Engine speed and its coupling to the wheels. With an automatic transmission, only the engine speed can be controlled by the driver.

Computers have gotten better at managing the coupling sensibly, but they still are not perfect at predicting drivers' future intentions.

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Computers have gotten better at managing the coupling sensibly, but they still are not perfect at predicting drivers' future intentions.

This argument basically says that if the computer only does it better in 99.99999999999999999% of cases, the correct solution is to have the computer handle 0% of cases. Which makes no sense.

(also, almost all "automatics are terrible at anticipating what needs to happen" arguments are based on decades-old experiences, as if automatic transmissions are fixed in time and incapable of improving)

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