The Steptronic is incredibly quick and smooth in shifting (thanks to the paddle shifters) as well as forgiving on inexperienced drivers. Even with this clutchless manual transmission experience I cannot shift at the right RPMs as does the automatic transmission. I know the main reason to shift to manual is to rev up the engine before shifts so you can feel the power and have complete control over it. After some fun time, I get back into the Auto mode so I don't have to think anymore.
That is when I realized how dependent we are on the automatic transmissions. In the early days of the auto transmission, it was still clunky in shifting and you could feel the jerk and it did not always shift at the right RPM. But, with technological advances the awkwardness is gone and nobody ever realizes that gears are shifting underneath (unless if you keep any eye on the tachometer). Today's auto transmissions are so smooth, quick and efficient that it is better than a human shifting gears. Some times during my travel to Europe I rent manual transmissions for the fun of it. Even for an experienced driver, the modern cars instruct when to up or down shift if there is a slight delay in shifting.
Similar to the early auto transmissions, the driverless car is going through its growth period. Soon, the time will come when we realize that they are much more efficient than us and we will accept them as the better drivers. I know the driverless cars are much more complex than a transmission, but the journey to maturity is still similar. With technological advances and inexpensive compute power, the day will arrive sooner than later.