Anyway you look at it though, it's a case of automation causing an undesirable outcome.

Either humans have become so lulled into automation that they've outsourced their brains to it (to the point they didn't realize the auto-pilot was even on! It's like a stoner movie), or: the machine ran amok. Or possibly a bit of both.

Interesting. I agree - an autopilot that sinks a ship isn't much of a pilot! But what stands out here for me is that they still blame human error and not the technology when obviously it's the technology that sank the ship.

No doubt we'll be blamed when we're hit by autonomous vehicles. I mean, we walked in front of them, after all!