So yeah, I think you still need to grind these multiplication tables, even if you have perfect version of Wolphram Alpha on your smartphone. It won't tell you what question to ask.
This is because coercion in education is: (1) painful, (2) prophetic, (3) it doesn't work!
What happens in real life is that if somebody needs to know something because they are keen to do something else then they will learn it efficiently, 'just in time' and precisely to the extent needed. Assuming their creativity is relatively intact...
But I can kinda understand why, you almost never have to multiply 9*7 by hand. If you're doing algebra or any symbolic calculations you rarely use digits other than 0-4.
In real world Benford's law + usual rounding greatly reduces the need to multiply by 7 or 9 (or 8 for that matter).
Learning how to perform mental arithmetic with the aid of pencil and paper was a way to escape from the grind of farm work. One could get a respectable job as a clerk. However with the advent of electronic cash registers and smartphones a way around this later form of grind has also been found. So no need to make it compulsory. Which isn't to say that people don't choose to practice specific things they personally consider useful. Even gamers do that.