Automatic AF point selection. Who uses this?

I've found the Auto AF point selection feature on any camera I've owned did nothing more than  frustrate me.  They always seem to pick the wrong part of the frame to focus on far more often than not.

And yet, manufacturers seem to spend an awful lot of time developing this feature, it's even the default setting out of the box on all cameras that have it, so I'm guessing there has to be some kind of advantage to it.

Is there something about this feature that I'm just not getting?  Is there anyone who uses Auto AF point selection as their preferred method for focusing, and if so, can you give some advice on how to get it to select the correct subject in the frame in a more consistent way?