Being hand written would be silly theatre that excludes perfectly capable people (like me) who cannot sustain writing more than a few minutes.

Edit: I think we’re actually all agreeing. That a typed exam as an option is perfectly cromulent. I’m just saying the idea that it must be written is silly.

I don't want to dismiss your limitation, but it's better to create an acommodation for your particular case than to prevent the system from being implemented for everybody else.

Writing by hand for extended periods is a capability.

It was mandatory in an earlier age. Now it has become optional, but it could become mandatory again.

Presumably someone who is unable would get an accommodation of some kind.

Gen Xer here: we coped with hand written exams just fine. Accommodations (extra time and/or a scribe) were available for those who needed them.

I don't think it's theatre, in the sense that it is effective for the advertised purpose (preempting AI-based cheating). But it seems to me like there are also plenty of ways to make reasonable accommodations for people who can't do a pen-and-paper exam, such as an offline computer.