I was thinking about the automation when doing earthwork when I was in the field 20+ years ago.
They tried some things. Like set up a laser to spin shoot across the site and the dozer blade had a reader that would tell the operator to go up or down. That apparently only works if the laser level was setup up correctly they learned.
Construction Companies are pretty competitive and always looking for an advantage. They have some interesting ideas. (Using radiation to measure soil compaction was my favorite).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_level
A quick google search of "laser grading" shows its still a thing attaching to heavy equipment.
https://www.starequip.com/construction-equipment-dealership-... https://www.burchlandmfg.com/products/lgx-laser-grader/
Construction Companies are pretty competitive and always looking for an advantage. They have some interesting ideas. (Using radiation to measure soil compaction was my favorite).
https://www.virginiadot.org/VDOT/Business/asset_upload_file7... [pdf]