"Spam in a can"

...the role of that human being vis-a-vis the role of automatic controls of all aspects of spacecraft and launcher operations became a subject of some controversy. Many, including the astronauts' fellow test pilots in the X-series tests at Edwards Air Force Base in California, considered the Mercury astronaut to be "Spam-in-a-can," a passive passenger in the space flight. Many of the engineers working on Project Mercury preferred that option, believing that automatic controls could protect human cargo more effectively than the human cargo could control the mission....

https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4219/Chapter7.html

Reports are circulating of person-carrying, fully autonomous, battery-powered drones entering the marketplace later this year.   Can it be done safely?