When we interviewed will.i.am last week, he spoke with little remorse – much excitement, in fact – about the way AI would upend our lives. His message was: Yes, we have every right to be frightened, but this will improve things. It will redistribute the balance of power by creating jobs in the Global South. All of this is (his word) “awesome”.
I’ll tell you what’s not awesome, though. The fact that AI is now replacing one of our great British institutions: that of the Wimbledon line judge. The men and women in Ralph Lauren tailoring standing behind the baseline on Centre Court and shouting – shrieking – “out”, or “fault”, or whatever word it is they’re supposed to say, with a hilarious gull-like screech every time Nick Kyrgios goes long or Novak Djokovic hits a double fault.
