In a galaxy where Vulture droids exist I.E ships that are droids, no pilots needed (essentially drones) why do ships that need pilots continue to be... Why are the Rebels not using droid ships to attack so Rebel soldiers don't die, which is a big thing for them as they need all the people they can get... Why don't the Empire have something like Vulture droids.. or the Republic before it, why have clones that cost money to produce die fighting in those early X-wings when the tech exists to have a computer controlled ship such as the Vulture droids do the same job... In fact why don't the Republic or the Empire or Rebels use droids for soldiers to fight, why does that go away and only beings fight... Is it money? The addition of Vulture droids disturb me.. as it means there's no use for pilots, making OT a bit hmm why are they using pilots... and its not as if these droid ships are shown to be not as good as a organic being controlling a ship, as they seem to be just as effective.. but without casualty, so why have living beings control ships... I think there should of been something in canon or even in ROTS at the end of the war that suggest that droid armies and droid control ships become defunct... maybe tech was created that Knocks them out easily, some kind of EMP bomb that sends out a massive electrical wave that breaks or shuts down artificial intelligence... meaning the galaxy goes away from droid armies/ships because they can be easily taken out and instead have the traditional more basic man controlling machine that's not so easily taken out...and so droids become what we see in the OT as just doing the smaller service or maintenance jobs and not being so prevalent in the more important areas as they are to much of a liability..
In the GFFA, there seems to be a general mistrust of droids and their programing. They are mostly regarded as servants, and not worthy of any real consideration. Militarizing them seems to put people on edge, i.e. the Naboo Blockade. After the Clone Wars, I doubt many citizens look upon militarized droids favorably, especially after having their homes and planets bombed by the. The other advantage to living pilots is that sapients are much more creative than pre-programmed AIs when it comes to just about everything. That makes them superior on a battlefield where they can think more quickly and adapt more quickly than a machine can.
There are vehicles being made right now that drive themselves but we still have people who drive cars.
From what I can tell from the clone wars, clones were superior to droids because they can think for themselves, so the same would apply to the pilots and vulture droids.
I disagree with the OP's assertion that droids seemed just as effective as people. The only droid victories I recall were due to overwhelming numbers. Organics beat the AI's consistently in all the films. In fact, one of the key themes of the films is that humanity is superior to technology. "Luke, you switched off your targeting computer!"
In the targeting computer's defense (never thought I'd be using that phrase), not everyone has the ability to tap into the Force to let it guide their ship and torpedo
I especially like the climax in ANH and what I think was a subtle Lucas suggestion to the audience in broad terms: Stop being so dependent on devices and trust in your own potential. Ironically, that's even more relevant today than it was in the late 1970's, IMHO.