Tag: technology

B2 – Upper Intermediate

It is safe to say that advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) have made our lives easier today. As it becomes an integral part of our lives more and more, we stand at the cusp of realizing the true power of AI technology.

Read the article and understand the key differences between a strong AI and a weak AI.

https://builtin.com/artificial-intelligence/strong-ai-weak-ai

Vocabulary Questions:

1. Define “threshold“, “As artificial intelligence continues to grow more advanced, the threshold of what can be considered true intelligence continues to get more complicated to define.”. Use this word in your own sentence.
2. Define “settle” here, “Until then, we will have to settle for the type of artificial intelligence that exists today: weak AI, which operates under far more constraints and limitations than even the most basic human intelligence in order to perfect very specific tasks.” Use ‘settle’ in your own sentence in this context. Give 2 other definitions of this word.
3. What does “to far exceed someone/something” mean, “And it is setting a foundation for AI’s potential to not only mimic and match human intelligence, but far exceed it.”? Use this phrase in your own sentence.

Discussion Questions:

1. What is the difference between weak, general, and super AI?
2. In which sectors has AI been widely used?
3. What benefits do the industries described in the video get when AI is used?
4. Share your thoughts on this statement, “People have no idea how much of their lives is actually governed by weak AI, or specialized AI.”.
5. For you, what does it mean to be intelligent?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Social media has become an ubiquitous part of modern life, especially for teenagers who have grown up with it. While there are many benefits to social media, such as the ability to connect with friends and family, share information and experiences, and discover new interests, there are also potential risks and negative consequences, such as cyberbullying, addiction, and exposure to harmful content. Remember that social media can be a positive and an enriching experience for your child when used responsibly and in moderation.

But how can you guide your child in navigating the digital world safely and confidently? How do you remain informed and involved in their browsing habits? How can you take an active role in your teen girls’ social media use to help ensure that they experience the many benefits of these platforms while also mitigating the potential risks and harms?

To learn more, follow the link and read the full article.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/parents-teens-social-media_l_6425a1ece4b01284198bd05b

Vocabulary Questions:

1. What does ”spectrum of experiences” mean, “Dr. Michael Rich, a pediatrician who runs the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital, told HuffPost he’s seen other surveys that showed the same spectrum of experiences.”? Use this expression in your own sentence.
2. What does ”to sift through sth” mean, ”How are we supposed to sift through the various positive and negative possibilities contained in our kids’ smartphones and figure out what course of action is best?” Use this in your own sentence.
3. What does ”digital natives” mean, “Our kids are digital natives and can figure out a way around pretty much any control setting when they put their minds to it.”? Use this term in your own sentence.

Discussion Questions:

1. What are some specific risks associated with social media use for teenagers?
2. How can you encourage your teens to communicate with you about their social media experiences?
3. How can you monitor your teens’ social media use without infringing their privacy?
4. What are some signs that a teen may be experiencing negative consequences of social media use, such as addiction or cyberbullying?
5. How can you model positive social media behavior for your teens? Please share.
6. What are some strategies for helping teens develop digital literacy skills? Please provide more details.

B2 – Upper Intermediate

A lot of fraudulent activities flourish in the online world. Nowadays, AI deepfakes have been a crucial tool in spreading misinformation on the internet.

Read the article to know more about deepfakes and how the world struggles to fight against it.

https://www.voanews.com/a/seeing-is-believing-global-scramble-to-tackle-deepfakes-/6945185.html

Vocabulary Questions:

1. What does “to rein in” mean, “Chatbots spouting falsehoods, face-swapping apps crafting porn videos, and cloned voices defrauding companies of millions — the scramble is on to rein in AI deepfakes that have become a misinformation super spreader.”? Use this phrase in your own sentence.
2. What does ”deluge” mean? “Artificial Intelligence is redefining the proverb “seeing is believing,” with a deluge of images created out of thin air and people shown mouthing things they never said in real-looking deepfakes that have eroded online trust.” Use this word in your own sentence.
3. What does “stymie” mean? “China recently adopted expansive rules to regulate deepfakes but most countries appear to be struggling to keep up with the fast-evolving technology amid concerns that regulation could stymie innovation or be misused to curtail free speech.” Use this word in your own sentence.

Discussion Questions:

1. What are your thoughts on the prevalence of deepfakes nowadays?
2. How can deepfakes be prevented?
3. How would you feel and would you know what to do in case you fall victim to a deepfake content?
4. Share your thoughts on this, “With no barriers to creating AI-synthesized text, audio and video, the potential for misuse in identity theft, financial fraud and tarnishing reputations has sparked global alarm.”
5. According to the Eurasia group, “AI tools are “weapons of mass disruption.” What is your opinion on this?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

In Italy, the recent ransomware attacks coincided with the widespread internet outage. At this point, it is difficult to say whether the two incidents are related. However, cybersecurity groups have warned of ransomware attacks that involve systems that are already in circulation.

Read the article to know more about the ransomware attacks in Europe.

https://www.voanews.com/a/ransomware-attacks-in-europe-target-old-vmware-agencies-say/6949349.html

Vocabulary Questions:

1. What is ”ransomware”? “Cybersecurity agencies in Europe are warning of ransomware attacks exploiting a two-year-old computer bug as Italy experienced widespread internet outages.” Use this word in your own sentence.
2. What is “hypervisor”? “A Friday technical bulletin from a French cybersecurity agency said the attack campaigns target VMware ESXi hypervisors, which are used to monitor virtual machines.” Use this word in your own sentence.
3. What does “interfere with” mean, “The problem attracted particular public attention in Italy on Sunday because it coincided with a nationwide internet outage affecting telecommunications operator Telecom Italia, which interfered with streaming the Spezia v. Napoli soccer match …”? Use this word in your own sentence.

Discussion Questions:

1. How can ransomware attacks be prevented?
2. In case of a ransomware attack, should an individual or company pay a ransom to get their data back? Explain.
3. How would you feel and would you know what to do in case you fall victim to a ransomware attack?
4. Has there ever been a nationwide internet outage in your country? What caused it and how was it resolved?
5. How do you feel when an internet outage occurs/would occur in your area?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

In the last two decades, the internet has been a widely used platform for the advertising industry. It reaches large audiences at a much cheaper cost. Brands splash their ads in different websites that are suitable to the user’s precise interests. They use the users’ data to give us the ads that we are looking for.

Let’s read the article and find out more about the new user privacy protection measure when using Google.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/may/19/privacy-by-design-google-to-give-people-more-power-over-their-personal-data

Vocabulary Questions:

1. What does “pushback” mean? Use it in your own sentence.
2. What does “opt out” mean? Use it in your own sentence.
3. What does “watchdog” mean in this sentence, “Just last month the Australian competition watchdog won a court case against Google…”? Use it in your own sentence.

Discussion Questions:

1. What new privacy strategy Google offers? How does it work?
2. What is your opinion on third party companies purchasing user’s data easily?
3. What do you think of the possibility of Google monetising future privacy features?