Is using Animatronic Puppets cheating? In most situations I would say No. It is a tool to entertain an audience. If it works and you find success with it, then fine. I say go for it.
For me, personally, I love performing with puppets and get great reactions without using animatronics.
Sometimes I think it is like buying a self driving car because you want the car to do the driving for you.
If you have the whole routine programmed and you just stand there reacting to the puppet, I can understand why some would call that cheating.
I have tried using pre programmed tracks and routines but have found them too restrictive.
For me personally, animatronics are simply not needed. However, if you like them and have success with them in the situations you use them, then I say go for it. Cheers!