Trending badgeTrendingPosted 1 hour agoSubscribe to BuzzFeed Daily NewsletterCaret DownEmma Thompson Told Colbert Her Trust Issues With Tech Started While She Was Working On 'Sense And Sensibility,' And The Story Sent Me Into Panic ModeIt's giving Emma vs. the machine.by Arsheen Kaur SahniBuzzFeed StaffFacebookPinterestLink There are few people who can make an existential rant about technology and AI sound like stand-up comedy. Emma Thompson is one of them, and now that I know the reason behind it, I'd say she's more than earned the right. Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF Giphy / Via giphy.com Columbia Pictures and Mirage She stopped by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert this week to talk about her new series Down Cemetery Road, and somewhere between chatting about her early comedy days and swapping jokes with Colbert, she told a story that sent me into a mini panic. View this photo on Instagram Instagram: @colbertlateshow Back in the '90s, Thompson wasn't just acting; she was writing what would become one of the defining period films of its decade: Sense and Sensibility. The movie, adapted from Jane Austen's 1811 novel, went on to earn seven Oscar nominations and win her the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. It was the kind of film that cemented her as not just a brilliant performer but one of the few people who could capture Austen's wit and heart on screen. Columbia Pictures and Mirage / Via imdb.com But at one point in the middle of all that genius, her computer decided to eat the entire script, and she had to work overtime just to get it back. The Late Night Show with Stephen Colbert / Via youtube.com I swear, just hearing her tell it gave me secondhand anxiety. So really, her beef with technology didn't start with AI, it started with Sense and Sensibility. And honestly? Fair enough.
Cut to now, and she's still at war with them. When asked about her thoughts on the "AI revolution" during the interview, she said, "Intense irritation," not missing a beat. "I cannot tell you." She explained that she still writes longhand, "on a pad, because I believe there's a connection between the brain and the hands." The Late Night Show with Stephen Colbert / Via youtube.com So yeah, when Emma Thompson tells AI to f*** off, I get it. I've yelled at autocorrect for less. Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF Amazon Studios / Via giphy.com Had Sense and Sensibility not been rescued from her vanished hard drive back in the day, I think I'd have personally boycotted computers and laptops. Imagine losing one of the greatest scripts because a computer decided to act up. That's not just a tech glitch, that's a cultural crime in my eyes.