I like the auto-pilot concept:
(1) Very good in proving your playing strategy. If you can play your strategy within seconds of looking at the board (and winning) your good to go.
(2) Im under the impression that if you truely understand your strategy, you should be able to bet quickly. Hesitation is weak only when your not being deceptive.
(3) You can play more tables (meaning more profits)
(4) Better for rockish type play. I think targeted loose/aggression is better when you know who your playing against

Autopilot isnt sophisticated but it does test very well your basic playing strategy. To win profitably online, spending the extra time observing opponents might get to a point of diminishing rewards and might be better spent playing an additional board.

Now I do believe its very different at a live table game, where the frequency of hands are less and you need to optimize your individual hand wins/losses. Understanding your opponent is much more relevant and the use of tells become very important. However, theres only so much online you can do and your likely playing against both fishes and good players. With that amount of mix, churn, etc., reading opponents might be more hassle than its worth.