A couple of things.
There are some characters, like the Furies, who appeared to be fully automated. Their whole presence was scripted to the point that the pilot didn’t even check what he’d looted for a few days. I know this because he accidentally looted from a friend and it took him a few days to respond and return the loot. When he responded, he advised his friend that he’d updated his scripts to effectively white-list him to prevent it happening again. I would call that character a ‘bot’. They received a ban on Monday of last week.
Then there are some characters who are there, kind of present, but using automation software or scripts to loot faster than non-automated players. Players like Kurenai Uchiha aka MajinVegito, Ahori Igunen etc. They remain unbanned, unchallenged.
A couple of new characters have turned up and they’re definitely loot thieves. It’s maybe too early to say for sure if they’re automated. If they’re the latter (ie using scripts but not fully automated) then it’s likely that they’ll be able to continue for as long as they like.