Why an uncrewed cruiser is unlikely

How long will it be before there are uncrewed cruisers?

The reply doubts that the full cruiser role will become uncrewed because command, presence, and diplomacy still require people aboard.

The answer doubts that an uncrewed vessel would perform the full cruiser role because command-and-control, presence, and diplomacy still require people aboard. Small uncrewed assets can be designed around accepting losses that would be harder to absorb in larger platforms. Crewed vessels also require protection for the people carried in them. The following discussion cautions against treating Western technological superiority as invulnerability. These are reasons given for retaining crews in major combatants, without establishing a timetable for future autonomous ships.