You nailed it! I started out thinking 'bots never' and had to double back quickly on my initial, unlearned principled objection. Bots are better than burning money and discovering you had to burn 20 times more money to even break even. After becoming more aware of other scams here on steemit, i realise that bots are indeed an integral part of the scams. But blaming them would be a bit like blaming Bitcoin for the proliferation of drugs - the real issue that threatens us lies buried underneath a carpet of pretense - I refer to the noble societies and groups. Inside those dens one gets the impression there's a lot worse than the bots. A lot of echo chambers filled with much self-stroking, self aggrandizing, boosting. one almost wants to call it conspiracy.
[Disclaimer: I write only fiction and satire - never quote me or ask me for names because no one has a name here]