McDonald’s tried using a robot voice to take orders at drive-throughs. But the robot made many funny mistakes. It mixed up orders, like putting bacon on ice cream. People shared these mistakes online. So, McDonald’s decided to stop using the robot voice in over 100 restaurants.

Even though McDonald’s stopped using this robot voice, they still believe robots can help in the future. They will look for better ways to use robot voices by the end of the year. Some people worry robots might take jobs from humans. But it seems robots can’t do everything humans can. McDonald’s will keep working with the robot company on other projects.

Original news source: Bacon ice cream and nugget overload sees misfiring McDonald’s AI withdrawn (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into two teams. Write down different actions or objects related to the article on separate pieces of paper. One student from each team will come to the front and pick a piece of paper without showing it to their team. They must then act out the action or object without speaking, while their team tries to guess what it is. The team that guesses correctly earns a point.

– News Summary
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. Each pair will read the article and then write a summary of it together in their own words. After a few minutes, ask some pairs to share their summaries with the class. Encourage them to use their own language if necessary.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Ask the class a series of questions related to the article, such as “Do you think robots should be used in fast food restaurants?” or “Do you think robots will replace humans in certain jobs?” Have the students raise their hands to indicate their opinions. Count the number of students with each opinion and discuss the results as a class.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write down different vocabulary words from the article on separate pieces of paper. Divide the class into pairs. One student from each pair will pick a word and without showing it to their partner, draw a picture to represent the word. Their partner must then guess the word based on the picture. The pair that guesses the most words correctly wins.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: In pairs or small groups, ask the students to discuss and make predictions about how robots might be used in the future. They can use the article as a starting point for their discussions. After a few minutes, ask some groups to share their predictions with the class. Encourage them to use the future tense and provide reasons for their predictions.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What happened when McDonald’s used a robot voice to take orders at drive-throughs?
2. Why did people share the funny mistakes the robot made online?
3. Did McDonald’s decide to keep using the robot voice after the mistakes?
4. What will McDonald’s do by the end of the year to find better ways to use robot voices?
5. Why do some people worry about robots taking jobs from humans?
6. Can robots do everything that humans can do?
7. Will McDonald’s continue working with the robot company on other projects?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

McDonald’s tried using a (1)______ voice to take orders at drive-throughs. But the robot made (2)______ funny mistakes. It mixed up orders, like putting bacon on ice cream. People shared these mistakes online. So, McDonald’s (3)______ to stop using the robot voice in over 100 (4)______.

Even though McDonald’s stopped using this robot voice, they still (5)______ robots can help in the future. They will look for better ways to use robot voices by the end of the (6)______. Some people worry robots might (7)______ jobs from humans. But it seems robots can’t do everything humans can. McDonald’s will (8)______ working with the robot company on other projects.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is a robot?
2. How would you feel if a robot took your order at McDonald’s?
3. Do you like the idea of robots helping at McDonald’s? Why or why not?
4. Do you think robots can do everything that humans can? Why or why not?
5. What is a drive-through?
6. Have you ever seen a robot before? Where?
7. How do you think a robot voice sounds?
8. Do you think it’s funny when robots make mistakes? Why or why not?
9. What is bacon?
10. Would you like bacon on ice cream? Why or why not?
11. Do you think robots will take jobs from humans in the future? Why or why not?
12. How do you think McDonald’s can use robot voices in a better way?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. robot
2. mistakes
3. orders
4. bacon
5. ice cream
6. believe
7. future
8. worry
9. humans
10. projects

Meanings:
(A) People
(B) A type of meat from a pig
(C) A machine that can do things by itself
(D) Things you work on to make or do something
(E) A cold, sweet treat you eat
(F) To feel scared or nervous about something
(G) What you ask for when you want food or drinks
(H) The time that comes after now
(I) Things that are not right or wrong actions
(J) To think something is true
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Why did McDonald’s stop using the robot voice?
(a) The robot was too expensive
(b) The robot made funny mistakes
(c) The robot broke down
(d) The robot was too slow

2. What did the robot put on ice cream by mistake?
(a) Ketchup
(b) Lettuce
(c) Pickles
(d) Bacon

3. What did people do with the robot’s mistakes?
(a) Ignored them
(b) Laughed at them
(c) Shared them online
(d) Forgot about them

4. What will McDonald’s do by the end of the year?
(a) Close all their restaurants
(b) Look for better ways to use robot voices
(c) Hire more humans
(d) Stop using robots completely

5. What do some people worry about robots?
(a) They might make too much noise
(b) They might break down easily
(c) They might be too expensive
(d) They might take jobs from humans

6. Can robots do everything humans can?
(a) Yes
(b) Maybe
(c) No
(d) Sometimes

7. Will McDonald’s continue working with the robot company?
(a) Yes
(b) No
(c) Maybe
(d) Sometimes

8. How many restaurants stopped using the robot voice?
(a) Over 100
(b) Less than 10
(c) Exactly 50
(d) More than 200

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. People shared these mistakes online.
2. Some people worry robots might take jobs from humans.
3. McDonald’s decided to stop using the robot voice in over 100 restaurants.
4. They will not explore other ways to use robot voices by the end of the year.
5. The robot made serious mistakes, like putting ketchup on ice cream.
6. McDonald’s will keep working with the robot company on other projects.
7. McDonald’s decided against using a robot voice to take orders at drive-throughs.
8. McDonald’s no longer believes robots can help in the future.
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 did McDonald’s try to use to take orders at drive-throughs?
2. What happened when the robot took orders?
3. What did people do with the mistakes the robot made?
4. Did McDonald’s decide to keep using the robot voice?
5. What will McDonald’s do with robots in the future?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What happened when McDonald’s used a robot voice to take orders at drive-throughs?
The robot made many funny mistakes, like mixing up orders.

2. Why did people share the funny mistakes the robot made online?
People shared the mistakes online because they thought they were funny.

3. Did McDonald’s decide to keep using the robot voice after the mistakes?
No, McDonald’s decided to stop using the robot voice in over 100 restaurants.

4. What will McDonald’s do by the end of the year to find better ways to use robot voices?
McDonald’s will look for better ways to use robot voices by the end of the year.

5. Why do some people worry about robots taking jobs from humans?
Some people worry that robots might take jobs from humans because they can do some tasks that humans used to do.

6. Can robots do everything that humans can do?
No, robots can’t do everything that humans can do.

7. Will McDonald’s continue working with the robot company on other projects?
Yes, McDonald’s will keep working with the robot company on other projects.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) robot
(2) many
(3) decided
(4) restaurants
(5) believe
(6) year
(7) take
(8) keep
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. robot
Answer: (C) A machine that can do things by itself

2. mistakes
Answer: (I) Things that are not right or wrong actions

3. orders
Answer: (G) What you ask for when you want food or drinks

4. bacon
Answer: (B) A type of meat from a pig

5. ice cream
Answer: (E) A cold, sweet treat you eat

6. believe
Answer: (J) To think something is true

7. future
Answer: (H) The time that comes after now

8. worry
Answer: (F) To feel scared or nervous about something

9. humans
Answer: (A) People

10. projects
Answer: (D) Things you work on to make or do something
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Why did McDonald’s stop using the robot voice?
Answer: (b) The robot made funny mistakes

2. What did the robot put on ice cream by mistake?
Answer: (d) Bacon

3. What did people do with the robot’s mistakes?
Answer: (c) Shared them online

4. What will McDonald’s do by the end of the year?
Answer: (b) Look for better ways to use robot voices

5. What do some people worry about robots?
Answer: (d) They might take jobs from humans

6. Can robots do everything humans can?
Answer: (c) No

7. Will McDonald’s continue working with the robot company?
Answer: (a) Yes

8. How many restaurants stopped using the robot voice?
Answer: (a) Over 100
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. People shared these mistakes online. (Answer: True)
2. Some people worry robots might take jobs from humans. (Answer: True)
3. McDonald’s decided to stop using the robot voice in over 100 restaurants. (Answer: True)
4. They will not explore other ways to use robot voices by the end of the year. (Answer: False)
5. The robot made serious mistakes, like putting ketchup on ice cream. (Answer: False)
6. McDonald’s will keep working with the robot company on other projects. (Answer: True)
7. McDonald’s decided against using a robot voice to take orders at drive-throughs. (Answer: False)
8. McDonald’s no longer believes robots can help in the future. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧