Tag: technology

Should We Fear Chatbots

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Chatbots have become more and more popular these days. We encounter a lot of chatbots when we do certain transactions on the internet. However, there is this existing fear that chatbots might surpass the level of information stored in human brains.

Listen to this audio and read the transcript to learn more about chatbots.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2023/ep-230706

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “on guard” mean? “…we need to be on guard against that because what’s coming out of ChatGPT is none of that.” Use this phrase in a sentence.
  2. What is a “sentient entity“? “You can provoke it to say things that sound like what a sentient entity would say.” Make a sentence with this phrase.
  3. Define “primed“. “We are really primed to imagine a mind behind language whenever we encounter language.” Use it in a sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think of chatbots?
  2. In your opinion, are chatbots helpful? Why or why not?
  3. Should we fear chatbots? Why or why not?
  4. What are the potential reasons that people might be afraid of chatbots?
  5. What do you think are the pros and cons of using a chatbot?

Key Challenges to Make AI Safe

B2 – Upper Intermediate

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to create more impact in almost all aspects of our society, it is crucial to sit down and discuss how the technology can be regulated in order to ensure that we can safely make use of it. However, it seems this task isn’t going to be a walk in the park.

Read this article about the key challenges in making AI safe.

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-65850668

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What is a “school of thought”? “Artificial-intelligence experts generally follow one of two schools of thought – it will either improve our lives enormously or destroy us all.” Use this phrase in your own sentence.
  2. What does it mean when something “doesn’t sit (well) with/within”? “These technologies don’t sit within the boundaries of one country.” Use this idiom in your own sentence.
  3. Explain what the word “interim” mean. “She is drawing up an interim voluntary code for the sector, alongside the US, which could be ready within weeks.” Use this word in your own sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Which among the key challenges to make AI safe mentioned in the article is the hardest one to address and why?
  2. Why do you think it is difficult to have international collaboration on AI?
  3. Do you agree that the public should be informed about the risks attached to each AI product? If so, how do we do that?
  4. Do you agree or disagree with this policy: “Companies that break its rules could be fined the greater of €30m or 6% of global annual turnover.”? Why or why not?
  5. What are some government regulations that we should have to mitigate the potential risks posed by AI products?
  6. AI “godfathers Geoffrey Hinton and Prof Yoshua Bengio warn that the technology has huge potential for harm. Do you believe them or not? Explain your point.

Lab-Grown Steak

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Whether we like it or not, most of us are carnivorous. Are we not? Most of the time, we visit restaurants to order our preferred rare, medium, or well-done steak. Can you imagine living a life without meat on our tables? Probably not, right? No worries. That’s so normal for most of us meat lovers.

According to experts, the global beef industry has been broken. Hence, the attempt to produce meat in laboratories. Although this sounds wonderful, it still might have a rather strange ring to it.

Please watch the video below to learn more about lab-grown meat.

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “to make room for someone/something” mean? ” “On average, tropical rainforests the size of El Salvador are cleared every year to make room for cattle.” Use this idiom in your own sentence.
  2. Explain what ” to hop/jump on the bandwagon” means? “It’s like everyone wants to hop on to that bandwagon.” Kindly make your sentence.
  3. How about “pour in“? “It wasn’t until 2020 that funding for lab-grown food really started to pour in. ” Give a similar expression and make your own sentence using the phrase “pour in”.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you believe that this could resolve the current problems, particularly in the broken supply chain? Elaborate on your opinion.
  2. What are your thoughts on lab-grown meat? Would you be so interested in giving it a try? Why/why not?
  3. In general, what are your thoughts on other meat/beef alternatives?
  4. Share reaction to this statement, “Beef is one of the most damaging foods for the planet.“.
  5. Do you enjoy eating meat? How much meat do you consume per week and why is that?

Restrict Kids’ Youtube Settings

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Imagine that your child has started spending less time with you. He doesn’t share what’s going on in his life, where he’s been, or who his friends are.

This scenario has become all too familiar to some parents. Sadly, they’ve lost their kids to gadgets or technology.

Read the article to know how you can block inappropriate contents and not let social media interfere with your relationship with your loved ones.

https://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/parental-control-guide-restrict-kids-youtube-settings/story?id=52135658

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “safeguard‘ mean? “An outline for parents to set up controls to add safeguards for kids.” Use this word in a sentence.
  2. What does “to spark outrage” mean? “Paul, a 22-year-old comedic actor with 15 million subscribers on YouTube, sparked outrage after posting a video which appeared to show the lifeless body of a person who committed suicide.” Use phrase word in a sentence.
  3. What does “to slip through the cracks” mean? “It can difficult for YouTube’s filter or algorithm to stop videos like Paul’s from slipping through the cracks due to the sheer volume of content that gets uploaded to YouTube daily.” Use this word in a sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Imagine an app you would like to use to keep track of some activity. What kind of app would it be exactly? Do you think such an app may already exist?
  2. Share your personal stand on allowing children to use the Internet without controlling them.
  3. What are some others way to ensure children’s safety when they go online?
  4. Do you know any family that control their kids too much? What do they do?
  5. How do you feel when if you can’t reach your loved ones by phone? Share your experience when you can’t contact a friend or family.

The Difference between Strong and Weak AI

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?

Parents Fearful Of Their Teens’ Social Media Use

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.

Artificial Intelligence in Classrooms

B2 – Upper Intermediate

China is at the forefront of using artificial intelligence (AI) in classrooms and it has implemented various AI-based technologies to enhance education.

It aims to provide personalized and immersive learning experiences, improve teaching effectiveness, and enhance student engagement and achievement.

However, the use of AI in education also raises concerns about data privacy, bias, and ethical issues. These are some of the challenges that need to be addressed for AI to be used effectively in classrooms.

Watch the video to learn more about how AI tech is being used in the classrooms. Be able to answer the questions that follow.

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does the expression “a glimpse of something” mean? “Some schools offer glimpses of what the future of high tech education might look like.” Use the idiom in a sentence.
  2. What does the word “consent” mean? “School says it wasn’t hard for them getting parental consent to enroll kids into what is one of the world’s largest experiments in AI education.” Give an example sentence using this word.
  3. What does the expression “doze off” mean? “This fifth grader whom we caught dozing off in class, told us his parents punish him for low attention scores.” Use the phrase in your own sentence and give two synonyms of ‘doze off’.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think of using AI in classrooms?
  2. Should AI tech be enforced in classrooms more? Explain your stand.
  3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using AI tech in education?
  4. Would you like your child to be immersed in this kind of education or would you prefer them having the traditional method? Explain your answer.

AI Chatbots ChatGPT and Google Bard

B1 – Intermediate

Chatbots are computer programs used to simulate chat with a human user. The latest chatbot to become more popular is ChatGPT. When a user asks something on ChatGPT, it can answer almost every question you ask it and with perfect grammar. It’s like you are really talking to another person.

Google didn’t waste time and launched its own version called Google Bard. 

It has now become a race for the best AI chatbot in town between Google and Microsoft.

Read the article on the AI chatbot battle between ChatGPT and Google Bard.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2302/230213-chatgpt-chatbot-4.html

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does ”hot on the heels of sb/sth” mean, ”Hot on the heels of ChatGPT came Google’s Bard.”? Use this expression in your own sentence.
  2. What does the expression “to spread like wildfire” mean, “A new online revolution has begun and is spreading like wildfire.” Use this idiom in your own sentence.
  3. What does “shake up” mean, “There are many questions about how chatbots will shake up our world.” Use this phrase in your own sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is your opinion on AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Google Bard? Would you use such programs?
  2. What are the uses and dangers of such AI chatbots?
  3. How is this going to change our lives/societies?
  4. Share your opinion on this: “Teachers are worrying about “the end of homework”. 
  5. Do you agree or disagree that “AI can deepen our understanding of information and turn it into useful knowledge making it easier for people to get things done.”? Explain.

Transhumanism

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Embedding a chip to unlock doors, store personal medical data, and getting smart contact lenses to record video by blinking are only some of the things transhumanists do to alter their body.

Watch the video and learn about the technological advances that have already altered the medical industry.

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does hasten mean, “There are some however who would not only rejoice at it, but want to hasten the day it arrives.”? Use this word in your own sentence.
  2. What does supersede mean, “Transhumanists look forward to a future in which Homo sapiens is superseded by a better, smarter, fitter model- humanity 2.0.”? Use this word in your own sentence.
  3. What does dire mean, “Humans are in dire need of improvement.”? Use this word in your own sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are your thoughts on transhumanism?
  2. Share your opinions on the possibility of being able to leave our ‘fragile human bodies’ behind and upload ourselves to computers and be able to live forever in the virtual world.
  3. Do you have any wearable devices that help you track your activities, for example, sleep patterns or steps? Do you analyze the information you receive from them?
  4. Would you be ready to try only those biohacking techniques that have been proven or would you go for something completely innovative?
  5. Should people be worried about the fact that such experiments can completely transform humans?

Global Scramble to Tackle Deepfakes

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?