War of Words: Does Artificial Intelligence change everything?

Dear Sutcliffe,

Enjoyed your piece about the Cerbera the other day. Reminded me how long we’ve been doing this lark. Both of us almost 40 years. I also got thinking about how much has changed over those decades. The first car test I went on was a twin-test between an Integrale and a Celica GT-Four. The latter used unleaded petrol and Toyota provided us with a small booklet listing the petrol stations that stocked it. Since then we’ve seen the introduction of speed cameras and watched as our roads have become ever more busy.

Then came the internet and soon after, YouTube. You could say both of them were (and remain) threats to the printed word and traditional motoring journalism, but we’ve all managed to adapt. The podcast has opened up great opportunities for both motoring journalists and their enthusiast audience. And, of course, Ti itself is a perfect example of how we’ve adapted to, and embraced new technology.

There’s nothing I like more than wasting a few hours watching old F5000 races on YouTube. Couldn’t have done that without the internet. Neither could my addiction to online classic car auctions exist without it.

But there is a threat that’s already here that I think is going to dramatically change our world: AI. I reckon Artificial Intelligence is going to wipe out the whole business of car reviewing. Buying your new car will be just like finding a good Lebanese restaurant in an unfamiliar city. You’ll just ask your phone for a recommendation.

Cheers, Col