Famous writers George RR Martin and John Grisham are upset with OpenAI, the company that owns ChatGPT. They say OpenAI used their books to make ChatGPT smarter without asking them. Other big writers are also upset. OpenAI says it cares about writers’ rights and thinks they should gain from AI technology. The Writers Club has taken this problem to a big court in Manhattan.
The writers say ChatGPT used their books without asking them. This makes them worry about robots taking over their jobs. But, it might be hard for them to show that ChatGPT copied their work. Some people think the writers are more worried about robots taking their jobs than about their books being copied. This problem is part of a bigger talk about how AI is changing jobs for creative people. OpenAI is talking with the Writers Club and others to find a good solution. But, we don’t know yet what will happen with this problem and others like it.
Original news source: Game of Thrones author sues ChatGPT owner OpenAI (BBC)
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Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– News Summary
Instructions: Have students read the article silently or in pairs. Then, ask them to write a short summary of the main points of the article. Encourage them to use their own words and focus on the key information. Afterward, have students share their summaries with a partner or in small groups.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Select 5-10 vocabulary words from the article (e.g., upset, smarter, gain, worry, copied). Write each word on a small piece of paper or index card. Divide the class into teams and give each team a set of the vocabulary words. One student from each team will pick a word and draw a picture representing that word while their teammates try to guess the word. The team that guesses the most words correctly wins.
– Headline Creation
Instructions: Tell students that they are journalists and their task is to create catchy headlines for the article. Have them work individually or in pairs to come up with attention-grabbing headlines that accurately summarize the main idea of the article. Afterward, have students share their headlines with the class and discuss which ones they think are the most effective.
– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Ask students to think about the following question: “How do you think AI technology will affect jobs in the future?” Give them a few moments to reflect on their own. Then, have them pair up and share their thoughts with a partner. Afterward, bring the class back together and invite a few pairs to share their ideas with the whole group. Encourage students to listen to and respectfully respond to their classmates’ perspectives.
– Two Truths and a Lie
Instructions: Have students work in pairs. Each student will come up with two true statements and one false statement about the article. They should try to make the false statement believable. Once both students have prepared their statements, they take turns sharing them with their partner, who must guess which statement is the lie. After a few rounds, bring the class back together and have a few pairs share their false statements with the whole group. The class can then try to guess which statement is the lie.
Comprehension Questions:
1. Why are George RR Martin and John Grisham upset with OpenAI?
2. What did OpenAI do with the writers’ books without asking them?
3. Why are the writers worried about robots taking over their jobs?
4. Why might it be hard for the writers to prove that ChatGPT copied their work?
5. What do some people think the writers are more worried about?
6. What is the bigger talk about that involves AI and creative people?
7. What is OpenAI doing to solve this problem with the Writers Club?
Go to answers ⇩
Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
Famous writers George RR Martin and John Grisham are upset with OpenAI, the company that owns ChatGPT. They say OpenAI used their books to (1)______ ChatGPT smarter without asking them. (2)______ big writers are also upset. OpenAI says it cares about writers’ rights and thinks they should gain from AI (3)______. The Writers Club has (4)______ this problem to a big court in Manhattan.
The writers say ChatGPT used their books without asking them. This makes them worry about robots taking over their jobs. But, it might be hard for them to show that (5)______ copied their work. Some people think the (6)______ are more worried about robots taking their jobs than about their books being copied. This problem is part of a bigger talk about how AI is (7)______ jobs for creative people. OpenAI is talking with the Writers Club and others to find a good solution. But, we don’t know yet what will happen with this (8)______ and others like it.
Go to answers ⇩
Discussion Questions:
Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.
1. What is a writer?
2. How would you feel if someone used your work without asking you?
3. Do you like robots? Why or why not?
4. Do you think it’s fair for AI to use books without permission?
5. How do you think AI is changing jobs for creative people?
6. Why do you think the writers are worried about robots taking their jobs?
7. What do you think the Writers Club should do about this problem?
8. How do you think AI technology can benefit writers?
9. Do you think it’s important for writers to have rights? Why or why not?
10. How do you think ChatGPT became smarter by using books?
11. What do you think will happen with this problem and others like it?
12. Have you ever used AI technology? If yes, how did it make you feel?
Individual Activities
Vocabulary Meanings:
Match each word to its meaning.
Words:
1. writers
2. upset
3. books
4. smarter
5. robots
6. jobs
7. copied
8. solution
Meanings:
(a) Machines that can do tasks without people
(b) Made a copy of something without permission
(c) People who write stories and books
(d) More clever or intelligent
(e) The work that people do to earn money
(f) Feeling sad or angry about something
(g) A way to fix a problem or make it better
(h) Stories with words and pictures
Go to answers ⇩
Multiple Choice Questions:
1. Who are upset with OpenAI?
(a) Harry Potter and Hermione Granger
(b) George RR Martin and John Grisham
(c) Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck
(d) Superman and Batman
2. What is the name of the company that owns ChatGPT?
(a) Google
(b) OpenAI
(c) Facebook
(d) Microsoft
3. Where did the Writers Club take the problem to?
(a) Paris
(b) London
(c) Manhattan
(d) Tokyo
4. What are the writers worried about?
(a) Robots taking over their jobs
(b) Robots taking over the world
(c) Robots stealing their books
(d) Robots eating their lunch
5. Why might it be hard for the writers to show that ChatGPT copied their work?
(a) Because the writers lost their books
(b) Because ChatGPT is a robot
(c) Because the writers are too busy
(d) Because ChatGPT is very smart
6. What are some people thinking the writers are more worried about?
(a) Robots stealing their books
(b) Robots eating their lunch
(c) Robots taking over the world
(d) Robots taking their jobs
7. What is the bigger talk about?
(a) How AI is changing jobs for doctors
(b) How AI is changing jobs for teachers
(c) How AI is changing jobs for creative people
(d) How AI is changing jobs for astronauts
8. What is OpenAI doing to find a solution?
(a) Talking with the Writers Club and others
(b) Ignoring the problem
(c) Running away from the problem
(d) Hiding from the problem
Go to answers ⇩
True or False Questions:
1. OpenAI used their books to make a smart robot called ChatGPT.
2. OpenAI is talking with the Writers Club and others to find a good solution, but we don’t know what will happen yet.
3. Some people do not think the writers are more worried about losing their jobs than having their books copied.
4. The writers are not worried that robots will take their jobs.
5. The writers are upset because OpenAI didn’t ask them before using their books.
6. Famous writers George RR Martin and John Grisham are not mad at a company called OpenAI.
7. This problem is not part of a bigger discussion about how AI is changing jobs for creative people.
8. It might be hard for the writers to prove that ChatGPT copied their books.
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. Why are George RR Martin and John Grisham upset with OpenAI?
2. What did OpenAI do with the writers’ books without asking them?
3. Why are the writers worried about robots taking over their jobs?
4. What are some people saying the writers are more worried about?
5. What is OpenAI doing to try to solve this problem?
Answers
Comprehension Question Answers:
1. Why are George RR Martin and John Grisham upset with OpenAI?
They are upset because OpenAI used their books without asking them.
2. What did OpenAI do with the writers’ books without asking them?
OpenAI used the books to make their AI, ChatGPT, smarter.
3. Why are the writers worried about robots taking over their jobs?
They are worried that robots like ChatGPT will do the writing jobs that they normally do.
4. Why might it be hard for the writers to prove that ChatGPT copied their work?
It might be hard because ChatGPT is an AI and doesn’t copy things the same way humans do.
5. What do some people think the writers are more worried about?
Some people think the writers are more worried about robots taking their jobs than about their books being copied.
6. What is the bigger talk about that involves AI and creative people?
The bigger talk is about how AI is changing jobs for creative people, like writers.
7. What is OpenAI doing to solve this problem with the Writers Club?
OpenAI is talking with the Writers Club and others to find a good solution to this problem.
Go back to questions ⇧
Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:
(1) make
(2) Other
(3) technology
(4) taken
(5) ChatGPT
(6) writers
(7) changing
(8) problem
Go back to questions ⇧
Vocabulary Meanings Answers:
1. writers
Answer: (c) People who write stories and books
2. upset
Answer: (f) Feeling sad or angry about something
3. books
Answer: (h) Stories with words and pictures
4. smarter
Answer: (d) More clever or intelligent
5. robots
Answer: (a) Machines that can do tasks without people
6. jobs
Answer: (e) The work that people do to earn money
7. copied
Answer: (b) Made a copy of something without permission
8. solution
Answer: (g) A way to fix a problem or make it better
Go back to questions ⇧
Multiple Choice Answers:
1. Who are upset with OpenAI?
Answer: (b) George RR Martin and John Grisham
2. What is the name of the company that owns ChatGPT?
Answer: (b) OpenAI
3. Where did the Writers Club take the problem to?
Answer: (c) Manhattan
4. What are the writers worried about?
Answer: (a) Robots taking over their jobs
5. Why might it be hard for the writers to show that ChatGPT copied their work?
Answer: (d) Because ChatGPT is very smart
6. What are some people thinking the writers are more worried about?
Answer: (d) Robots taking their jobs
7. What is the bigger talk about?
Answer: (c) How AI is changing jobs for creative people
8. What is OpenAI doing to find a solution?
Answer: (a) Talking with the Writers Club and others
Go back to questions ⇧
True or False Answers:
1. OpenAI used their books to make a smart robot called ChatGPT. (Answer: True)
2. OpenAI is talking with the Writers Club and others to find a good solution, but we don’t know what will happen yet. (Answer: True)
3. Some people do not think the writers are more worried about losing their jobs than having their books copied. (Answer: False)
4. The writers are not worried that robots will take their jobs. (Answer: False)
5. The writers are upset because OpenAI didn’t ask them before using their books. (Answer: True)
6. Famous writers George RR Martin and John Grisham are not mad at a company called OpenAI. (Answer: False)
7. This problem is not part of a bigger discussion about how AI is changing jobs for creative people. (Answer: False)
8. It might be hard for the writers to prove that ChatGPT copied their books. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧
