Are you forced to use “automatic updates” ..??
Can’t you just change the setting ..??
Short answer: 1. YES, and 2. NO.
If you're a normal individual user (home, small business) using the Home or Home Premium editions of Windows 10, you have no choice -- your computer will have the updates force-fed to it automatically whether you want them or not, and there is nothing you can do to avoid it.
If you spring for the Professional business-class editions, you get a slightly better deal -- you can delay the updates for a little while. But sooner or later your time runs out and they are force-fed to your computer whether you want them or not.
The only Windows 10 users with real options are the high-volume Enterprise customers on large expensive software contracts, who can arrange special deals with Microsoft about if and when the updates are pushed to their computers. The rationale is that large customers generally have custom-written applications that might break due to updates. As though you and I don't have applications that break with updates.
In other words, money talks. You and I are the guinea pigs who "field test" the updates for the Enterprise customers.
I realize that sounds harsh. But that's what it is, and Microsoft's own documentation says it in so many words.