Would automatic naval guns grow beyond eight inches?

Could eight-inch automatic naval guns return, and would navies then pursue larger calibres?

Surface ships are unlikely to go beyond eight inches; anything larger belongs to science fiction rather than a likely naval programme.

The answer doubts that surface fleets would pursue automatic naval guns above eight inches. A larger weapon is mentioned only as a joking possibility for science-fiction spacecraft and planetary attack. No active programme or engineering pathway is offered, so this is best read as a quick prediction rather than a documented procurement trend. The useful limit of the exchange is therefore its judgement about calibre, not evidence that an eight-inch automatic gun is about to return.