And we strive for..... what ?

With all due respect Ikarus, I'd like to offer a contrary point of view.

As the article points out, the autotuner is not going to make a lousy band sound great. It will just make them sound in tune. I view it as a tool to help clean up the odd mistake. Much like a spell checker. Or calculator. Or equalizer. I'm in favor of anything that adds to the beauty of the performance.

Not saying that you didn't have a point. Just that there are 2 sides to this equation.

Since this is an audio sight, I will repeat something I said a while back. Are we really looking for accurate sound or sound that sounds good? So many people listen to proven inaccurate speakers and enjoy it. All the equipment on the market that sounds so different from piece to piece---but where does accuracy fit in. Guess it has hit the recording industry big time.
I believe in preservation of the sound wave phase relationships which means I use time aligned and phase correct speakers. However, it is very disconcerting that most Redbook cd's phase relationships are so bad that it makes speakers like Vandersteen, Theil, etc. a moot point. SACD solves some of the problems but not all concerning phase. I have wondered if sometimes we purchase certain equipment to compensate for such bad sources.

Autotune devices have been around for a few years and like any piece of
hardware it can be used wisely or misused. As such it's a completely
neutral device. On recordings it's used extensively in country, urban
R&B and pop music areas. Interestingly enough, although it's use is
supposed to be non-detectable, producers have resorted to using
autotune as an effect unto itself (Cher's "Do You Believe").
Non-professional singers who learn to sing by copying current
commercial releases have actually started to incorporate the pitch jump
at the start of an "autotuned" note into their natural singing
style.