Enhanced memoirs

An awful suspicion is dawning that rather than just replacing humans by being more efficient, artificial intelligence (AI) might also show them up for the wretched, self-deluding egomaniacs they so often are.

- Jane Clifton

Some of this year's "tell-all" books have been so incompetent in their mendacity, it's beginning to look as though the only reliable biographies and memoirs in future will be those penned by chatbots on humans' behalf. At least bots can find a few facts to rub together, and AI so far has resisted developing grudges and vendettas.

Omid Scobie's recent swingeing hatchet job on the British monarchy, Endgame, would be merely a matter of taste were it not so vaingloriously ludicrous. No AI program could have generated King Charles making staff iron his shoelaces. No bot would be so factually challenged as to "think" any reader who has ever worn lace-up shoes would believe it. Vanishingly few modern laces are made of crinkle-able fibre; the bespoke brogues Charles gets about in are not among shoes that feature them. Even a light steaming would be ruinous.