K.I.T.T. Would Have Had Wi-Fi

This week’s Sunday Signal is a mix of nostalgia, geopolitics, and frustration.

On Saturday nights in the 1980s, I would sit in front of the television for a double bill: Knight Rider, followed by Minder if I was allowed to stay up. The highlight was K.I.T.T., a car that could talk, drive itself, and be summoned from a wristwatch. Back then it was pure science fiction. Forty years later, we carry smartwatches, talk to AI assistants, and test autonomous vehicles. Science fiction has an uncanny way of predicting the future.

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But while some futures arrive faster than we expect, others reveal fragility. In my latest Yorkshire Post column, I explore the vulnerability of GPS. The technology that underpins everything from aviation to finance can be disabled by a £20 jammer. The solution lies in quantum clocks — building accuracy and resilience directly into aircraft, ships, and defence systems.

And then there is the frustration. On the Midland Main Line between Sheffield and London, passengers lose connectivity for most of the journey. Deadlines loom, laptops are open, and the internet cuts out before Chesterfield. If I can stream Netflix on a transatlantic flight, why can’t I send an email on Britain’s critical rail route? Faster trains are meaningless if the time on board is wasted.

The thread running through these stories is simple. Technology dazzles us with progress, but it also exposes weaknesses and inequalities. The challenge is not inventing the future — we are good at that. The challenge is building it wisely, securing it, and sharing it fairly.

📖 Read the full issue here: The Sunday Signal: K.I.T.T. Would Have Had Wi-Fi

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