Google’s boss, Matt Brittin, says that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is very important. Google is working with the University of Cambridge to make a new place for studying AI. They will look at how AI can help with robots, health care, and climate change. This is happening before a big meeting in the UK about AI safety. The UK government wants to talk with big companies about rules for AI.
Zoubin Ghahramani from Google and Cambridge University says AI can help solve climate problems. AI has already helped make airplane paths better and reduced contrails, which are lines in the sky made by planes. Google has been working for many years to use less energy in its big computer places. By 2025, Google wants to use almost no carbon energy in the UK. But, some people worry that AI uses too much energy and can hurt the environment. They think we should only use AI when we really need to. This shows that we need to make AI in a good and safe way.
Original news source: Google boss: AI too important not to get right (BBC)
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Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a set of cards with words related to AI, such as “robot,” “healthcare,” “climate change,” “energy,” etc. One player from each group will pick a card and act out the word without speaking, while the rest of the group tries to guess the word. The group that guesses correctly gets a point. Play several rounds and see which group gets the most points.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. Give each pair a set of cards with words related to the article. One student from each pair will pick a card and draw a picture representing the word, while the other student tries to guess the word. The pair that guesses correctly gets a point. Switch roles and play several rounds, keeping track of the points.
– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Ask the class to think about and write down their opinions on the following question: “Do you think AI is a good thing or a bad thing? Why?” Then, have students pair up and share their opinions with their partner. After discussing, ask some pairs to share their opinions with the whole class, and facilitate a class discussion on the topic.
– Two Truths and a Lie
Instructions: Ask each student to come up with two true statements and one false statement about AI. They should write these statements on separate pieces of paper without revealing which one is false. Then, have each student share their statements with a partner, who must guess which statement is the lie. After guessing, students can discuss why they chose a particular statement as the lie.
– Headline Creation
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a headline related to the article, such as “Google and Cambridge University Collaborate on AI Research” or “Concerns about AI’s Environmental Impact.” In their groups, students must come up with a short news article or story based on the headline. Each group will then present their headline and story to the class, encouraging discussion and feedback.
Comprehension Questions:
1. What is Artificial Intelligence (AI)?
2. Who is working together to study AI?
3. What are some ways that AI can help us?
4. How has AI already helped with airplane paths?
5. What is Google’s goal for using energy in the UK by 2025?
6. Why do some people worry about AI using too much energy?
7. Why is it important to make AI in a good and safe way?
Go to answers ⇩
Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
Google’s boss, Matt Brittin, says that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is very important. Google is working with the University of Cambridge to (1)______ a new place for studying AI. They will look at how AI can help with robots, health (2)______, and climate (3)______. This is happening before a big meeting in the UK about AI safety. The UK government wants to talk with big companies about (4)______ for AI.
Zoubin Ghahramani from Google and Cambridge University says AI can help solve climate problems. AI has already helped make (5)______ paths better and reduced (6)______, which are lines in the sky made by planes. Google has been working for many years to use less energy in its big computer places. By 2025, Google wants to use almost no carbon energy in the UK. But, some (7)______ (8)______ that AI uses too much energy and can hurt the environment. They think we should only use AI when we really need to. This shows that we need to make AI in a good and safe way.
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Discussion Questions:
Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.
1. What is Artificial Intelligence (AI)?
2. How would you feel if robots could help with your health care?
3. Do you like airplanes? Why or why not?
4. Do you think AI can help solve climate change? Why or why not?
5. What are contrails and how are they made?
6. How do you think AI can help reduce contrails?
7. Do you think it’s important for big companies to follow rules for AI? Why or why not?
8. How do you think AI can help make computer places use less energy?
9. How would you feel if Google used almost no carbon energy in the UK by 2025?
10. Do you think AI uses too much energy? Why or why not?
11. When do you think we should use AI? Why?
12. Why do you think it’s important to make AI in a good and safe way?
Individual Activities
Vocabulary Meanings:
Match each word to its meaning.
Words:
1. Artificial Intelligence (AI)
2. important
3. robots
4. health care
5. climate change
6. airplane paths
7. energy
8. environment
Meanings:
(a) The lines that planes make in the sky
(b) The power that makes things work
(c) The world around us and the air, water, and land
(d) Machines that can do things like humans
(e) Something that is very necessary and special
(f) Taking care of people’s health and making them better
(g) The Earth getting hotter and the weather changing
(h) A smart computer that can think and learn
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Multiple Choice Questions:
1. Who thinks that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is very important?
(a) Zoubin Ghahramani
(b) Google
(c) Cambridge University
(d) Matt Brittin
2. What are some areas that AI can help with?
(a) Robots, health care, and climate change
(b) Cooking, painting, and dancing
(c) Sports, music, and fashion
(d) Cars, movies, and books
3. What is a contrail?
(a) A type of robot
(b) A new kind of energy
(c) Lines in the sky made by planes
(d) A big computer place
4. What is Google’s goal for using energy in the UK by 2025?
(a) To use a lot of carbon energy
(b) To use only AI energy
(c) To use no energy at all
(d) To use almost no carbon energy
5. What do some people worry about when it comes to AI and energy?
(a) That AI doesn’t use enough energy and can’t help the environment
(b) That AI is too expensive to use
(c) That AI uses too much energy and can hurt the environment
(d) That AI is not safe to use
6. What does the UK government want to talk with big companies about?
(a) Rules for AI
(b) Rules for robots
(c) Rules for health care
(d) Rules for climate change
7. Who is working with the University of Cambridge to make a new place for studying AI?
(a) Matt Brittin
(b) Google
(c) Zoubin Ghahramani
(d) The UK government
8. When is the big meeting in the UK about AI safety happening?
(a) After Google’s new place for studying AI
(b) Before Google’s new place for studying AI
(c) At the same time as Google’s new place for studying AI
(d) The article doesn’t say
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True or False Questions:
1. The UK government has no intention of discussing regulations for AI with big companies.
2. Google is working with a university to study AI.
3. Google has no plans to reduce carbon energy usage in the UK by 2025.
4. Google’s boss believes that Artificial Intelligence is not very important.
5. Some people are not concerned about AI using too much energy and potentially harming the environment.
6. They will look at how AI can help with robots, health care, and climate change.
7. AI has already helped make airplane paths better and reduced contrails.
8. We need to make AI in a good and safe way.
Go to answers ⇩
Write a Summary:
Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.
Writing Questions:
Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.
1. What is AI and why is it important?
2. Who is working together to study AI?
3. What are some ways that AI can help with?
4. How has AI already helped with airplane paths?
5. What are some concerns about AI and the environment?
Answers
Comprehension Question Answers:
1. What is Artificial Intelligence (AI)?
AI is a type of technology that helps computers think and learn like humans.
2. Who is working together to study AI?
Google and the University of Cambridge are working together to study AI.
3. What are some ways that AI can help us?
AI can help with robots, health care, and climate change.
4. How has AI already helped with airplane paths?
AI has helped make airplane paths better and reduced contrails, which are lines in the sky made by planes.
5. What is Google’s goal for using energy in the UK by 2025?
Google wants to use almost no carbon energy in the UK by 2025.
6. Why do some people worry about AI using too much energy?
Some people worry that AI uses too much energy and can hurt the environment.
7. Why is it important to make AI in a good and safe way?
It is important to make AI in a good and safe way to ensure it is helpful and doesn’t cause any harm.
Go back to questions ⇧
Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:
(1) make
(2) care
(3) change
(4) rules
(5) airplane
(6) contrails
(7) people
(8) worry
Go back to questions ⇧
Vocabulary Meanings Answers:
1. Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Answer: (h) A smart computer that can think and learn
2. important
Answer: (e) Something that is very necessary and special
3. robots
Answer: (d) Machines that can do things like humans
4. health care
Answer: (f) Taking care of people’s health and making them better
5. climate change
Answer: (g) The Earth getting hotter and the weather changing
6. airplane paths
Answer: (a) The lines that planes make in the sky
7. energy
Answer: (b) The power that makes things work
8. environment
Answer: (c) The world around us and the air, water, and land
Go back to questions ⇧
Multiple Choice Answers:
1. Who thinks that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is very important?
Answer: (d) Matt Brittin
2. What are some areas that AI can help with?
Answer: (a) Robots, health care, and climate change
3. What is a contrail?
Answer: (c) Lines in the sky made by planes
4. What is Google’s goal for using energy in the UK by 2025?
Answer: (d) To use almost no carbon energy
5. What do some people worry about when it comes to AI and energy?
Answer: (c) That AI uses too much energy and can hurt the environment
6. What does the UK government want to talk with big companies about?
Answer: (a) Rules for AI
7. Who is working with the University of Cambridge to make a new place for studying AI?
Answer: (b) Google
8. When is the big meeting in the UK about AI safety happening?
Answer: (b) Before Google’s new place for studying AI
Go back to questions ⇧
True or False Answers:
1. The UK government has no intention of discussing regulations for AI with big companies. (Answer: False)
2. Google is working with a university to study AI. (Answer: True)
3. Google has no plans to reduce carbon energy usage in the UK by 2025. (Answer: False)
4. Google’s boss believes that Artificial Intelligence is not very important. (Answer: False)
5. Some people are not concerned about AI using too much energy and potentially harming the environment. (Answer: False)
6. They will look at how AI can help with robots, health care, and climate change. (Answer: True)
7. AI has already helped make airplane paths better and reduced contrails. (Answer: True)
8. We need to make AI in a good and safe way. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧
