The Week Unwrapped: AI in court, Germans in Taiwan and ghostwriters

Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. With Jamie Timson, Mariana Vieira and Kate Samuelson.

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In this week’s episode, we discuss:

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Artificial intelligence in court

This week lawyers became the latest profession to have their jobs put at risk by the rise of AI with the news that tech company DoNotPay is trialling the use of artificial intelligence in place of a barrister to defend someone in court next month. As machine-learning becomes more commonplace in all walks of life, are we now just a few short steps away from a robot judge and jury and could that in fact be fairer than the current judicial system?

Taiwan woos Germany

A group of German MPs angered China this week by visiting Taiwan, which the Chinese government regards as an integral part of its territory. The visit follows German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s announcement that he now regards China as a “systemic rival”. His government has moved away from Angela Merkel’s relatively close relationship with Beijing, which sought to build business links within China.

Ghostwriters come out of the shadows

Amid the furore surrounding Prince Harry’s book, one of the less-reported angles is the attention given to his ghostwriter. Far from being a silent partner, JR Moehringer has commented on and defended his work, responding to complaints about inaccuracies. A former winner of the Pulitzer Prize, Moehringer also ghost wrote Andre Agassi’s autobiography. Does his prominence change the way audiences will react to celebrity memoirs?