WATCH! Ever wanted to tell your computer to f*** off? Emma Thompson actually did

Content Warning: Strong language.

Have you ever wanted to tell your computer exactly where to stick its helpful suggestions?

Well, Emma Thompson just did it for all of us—and with the kind of colourful language that would make a sailor blush.

The 66-year-old British icon unleashed an unforgettable tirade on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and it instantly became the anthem for anyone who's ever battled with autocorrect or unwanted ‘improvements’. And honestly, she said what most of us have been thinking for years.

Thompson didn’t hold back when Colbert asked her what she thought about ‘the coming AI revolution’.

‘Intense irritation. I cannot begin to tell you,’ she shot back—before diving into a rant that perfectly captured the exasperation so many people feel when their computer assumes it knows better.

It turns out, Thompson prefers the old-school approach to writing.

She still drafts her scripts by hand, saying there’s a ‘connection between the brain and the hand’ that technology can’t replace.

For anyone over 60, that sentiment hits home—there’s something deeply satisfying about putting pen to paper and watching your thoughts take shape the traditional way.

But trouble begins when Thompson transfers her handwritten work into Word.

The software constantly interrupts her flow, asking, ‘Would you like me to rewrite that for you?’

And that’s when she loses it—spectacularly.

Watch at the 3:40 mark to see for yourself.

It’s not just a funny outburst—it’s a full-blown rebellion from one of the most accomplished writers in the business.

Thompson isn’t your average celebrity complaining about tech.

She’s an Oscar-winning screenwriter who took home the 1996 Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for Sense and Sensibility—making her the only person ever to win Oscars for both acting and writing.

When Colbert joked that she should flash her Oscar at the computer to prove she didn’t need help, Thompson dryly replied, ‘I don't think that it would care.’

Her résumé is proof she’s earned the right to be annoyed.

From co-writing Bridget Jones’s Baby to penning Last Christmas and both Nanny McPhee films, Thompson’s storytelling credentials are beyond question.

Her feud with technology didn’t start recently either.

While working on her Sense and Sensibility script years ago, she experienced every writer’s worst nightmare.

‘I remember once when I was finishing Sense and Sensibility on the computer, I came back from the loo to find that it had changed the entire script into hieroglyphs...completely gone, the script,’ she recalled.

Panicked, she threw on her dressing gown, called a taxi, and rushed straight to her friend Stephen Fry’s house—because who else do you call in a computer crisis?

Fry spent eight gruelling hours trying to recover the document.

When it finally reappeared, it was ‘one long sentence’.

Thompson had to rewrite the entire thing from scratch, convinced the computer had ‘taken it and hidden it... like it had done it on purpose’.

It’s hard not to sympathise.

Even in 2025, the line between helpful technology and digital sabotage feels thinner than ever.

And Thompson isn’t the only big name calling out artificial intelligence.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt recently demanded a pause on AI super-intelligence development, asking, ‘Why would you want to build an AI that's smarter than humans?’

Director Guillermo del Toro told NPR he’d rather die than rely on AI in his creative process.

Meanwhile, Sean Astin, SAG-AFTRA’s president, slammed AI-generated videos for threatening ‘the economic foundation of our entire industry’.

For everyday users, Thompson’s rant sums up the shared irritation perfectly.

From autocorrect gone rogue to chatbots rewriting emails, technology often behaves like an overzealous intern who refuses to take direction.

For many older Australians, her preference for handwriting isn’t nostalgia—it’s about reclaiming a slower, more mindful way to think and create.

Ironically, Thompson’s rant spread like wildfire online thanks to the very technology she criticised.

Still, her message resonates loud and clear—sometimes the smartest thing a computer can do is simply shut up and let humans create.

If Emma Thompson’s outburst made you laugh in recognition, you’re not alone—technology has a knack for testing even the most patient among us.

From confusing updates to devices that seem to think they know best, the struggle to stay one step ahead of modern tech is a familiar one.

For a deeper look at how to make peace with your gadgets and keep frustration at bay, this next story offers some practical insight and humour along the way.

Read more: Tech Talk with Dr Al: Navigating Through New Technology

Have you ever wanted to tell your computer to f*** off when it tried to ‘help’?