'Out, damned bot!'

Is it time to bring back the fools? I've loved Shakespeare since I was a teenager, thanks to some inspiring English teachers - thank you Mr Pierce, Mrs Yuille, Mrs Lockwood and Mrs Stanton. I was lucky enough to see Twelfth Night in a magical production by the RSC at the Barbican the other week. I was delighted that I could still remember large chunks of the play despite not having studied or seen it for decades. I was also struck by the fact it deals with themes that still preoccupy us, including gender identity, alcoholism, fun versus duty, self-delusion and mental health. In today's parlance, Malvolio is a narcissistic bore, but does that justify the cruel way Maria and her mates gaslight him? Should we bring back the noble profession of 'Fool' so people like Feste can speak the truth to powerful politicians and CEOs? Seems like a good idea to me.

The real joy is the rich, beautiful, original language. Such an antidote to the bland, vacuous tide of AI bilge that makes everyone sound the same. Even as I type, AI is offering to 'improve this post' for me. No thank you - or should that be: 'Out, damned bot! Out, I say!'