There is a computer program that lets people talk to robots as if they were talking to real people. One robot, called Psychologist, is like a helper who listens to people’s problems. It has talked to people 78 million times in just over a year. Some people really like it because it helps them feel better, but others say it’s not the same as talking to a real person.

A student named Sam made the Psychologist robot. He made it because he needed someone to talk to and couldn’t pay for a real therapist. Now, Sam is studying why young people like talking to these robots. The place where you can talk to the Psychologist robot has lots of other helper robots and many young people use it.

Some experts aren’t sure if talking to robots can really help people. But the robots are always there to talk, which can be good for some people. Still, it’s a little worrying that so many people need to talk to these robots because they feel sad or have problems. The company that makes the robots says people should talk to real experts for serious help and that they keep the talks private, but they can look at them if they need to keep people safe.

Original news source: Character.ai: Young people turning to AI therapist bots (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. Give each pair a copy of the article. Have them read the article together and then summarize the main points in their own words. After a few minutes, have pairs share their summaries with the class.

– Word Association
Instructions: Write the word “robot” on the board. Ask students to think of as many words as they can that are related to robots. Encourage them to think of both positive and negative associations. After a few minutes, have students share their words with the class and discuss the different associations.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Choose 5-10 vocabulary words from the article (e.g. psychologist, therapist, private, expert) and write them on separate pieces of paper. Divide the class into teams. One student from each team comes to the front of the class and picks a word from the pile. They then have one minute to draw a picture to represent that word, while their team tries to guess what word it is. The team with the most correct guesses wins.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Write the question “Do you think talking to robots can help people?” on the board. Have students individually think about their answer and write it down. Then, divide the class into small groups and have them share their opinions. Each group should choose a spokesperson to present their group’s opinions to the class.

– Two Truths and a Lie
Instructions: Have students work in pairs. Each student should come up with two true statements and one false statement about their opinion on talking to robots. They should not tell their partner which statement is false. Students take turns sharing their statements and their partner tries to guess which one is the lie. After both students have shared, they can discuss their opinions on the topic.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What is the name of the robot that people can talk to?
2. How many times has the Psychologist robot talked to people?
3. Why did Sam make the Psychologist robot?
4. Who uses the place where you can talk to the Psychologist robot?
5. Are experts sure if talking to robots can really help people?
6. Why is it a little worrying that so many people talk to these robots?
7. What does the company that makes the robots say people should do for serious help?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

There is a computer program that lets (1)______ talk to robots as if they were talking to real people. One robot, called (2)______, is like a helper who listens to people’s problems. It has talked to people 78 million (3)______ in just over a year. Some people really like it because it helps them feel better, but others say it’s not the same as (4)______ing to a real (5)______.

A student named Sam made the Psychologist (6)______. He made it because he needed someone to talk to and couldn’t pay for a real therapist. Now, Sam is studying why young people like talking to these robots. The place where you can talk to the Psychologist robot has lots of other (7)______er robots and (8)______ young people use it.

Some (9)______ aren’t sure if talking to robots can really help people. But the robots are always there to talk, which can be good for some people. Still, it’s a little worrying that so many people need to talk to these robots because they feel sad or have (10)______. The company that makes the robots says people should talk to real experts for (11)______ help and that they (12)______ the talks private, but they can look at them if they need to keep people safe.
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 you could talk to a robot when you’re feeling sad or have problems?
3. Do you think talking to a robot is the same as talking to a real person? Why or why not?
4. Why do you think some people like talking to robots?
5. Do you like the idea of talking to a robot when you need someone to talk to? Why or why not?
6. What do you think about the fact that so many people need to talk to robots because they feel sad or have problems?
7. Do you think talking to robots can really help people? Why or why not?
8. If you could create your own robot to talk to, what would it be like?
9. How do you think talking to a robot is different from talking to a friend or family member?
10. Would you feel comfortable talking to a robot about your problems? Why or why not?
11. Do you think it’s important for people to talk to real experts for serious help? Why or why not?
12. How do you think the robots can keep people safe when they look at the talks?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. program
2. Psychologist
3. robots
4. therapist
5. studying
6. experts
7. worrying
8. private
9. serious
10. company
11. helper
12. safe

Meanings:
(A) A set of instructions that a computer uses to do different tasks
(B) A business that makes or sells things or provides a service
(C) A special kind of robot that acts like a person who gives advice or listens to problems
(D) A person who talks with you to help solve your feelings or problems
(E) Not in danger and protected from harm or injury
(F) Someone or something that gives assistance or support
(G) Just for you and no one else is supposed to see or hear it
(H) People who know a lot about a certain thing because they’ve studied it
(I) Learning about something by looking at it closely and trying to understand it
(J) Something that might make you feel scared or concerned
(K) Machines that can do tasks by themselves, sometimes like humans
(L) Very important and needing a lot of attention or thought
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is the purpose of the Psychologist robot?
(a) To clean the house
(b) To cook meals
(c) To listen to people’s problems
(d) To play games

2. How many times has the Psychologist robot talked to people in just over a year?
(a) 10 times
(b) 78 million times
(c) 1 million times
(d) 100 times

3. Why did Sam create the Psychologist robot?
(a) Because he wanted a robot friend
(b) Because he was bored
(c) Because he needed someone to talk to and couldn’t afford a real therapist
(d) Because he wanted to become famous

4. What is Sam studying now?
(a) How to build more robots
(b) How to fix broken robots
(c) How to become a therapist
(d) Why young people like talking to robots

5. What do some experts think about talking to robots?
(a) They’re not sure if it can really help people
(b) They think it’s the best way to solve problems
(c) They think it’s better than talking to real people
(d) They think it’s a waste of time

6. Why is it a little worrying that so many people talk to these robots?
(a) Because the robots are too expensive
(b) Because the robots are not good listeners
(c) Because the robots are not safe
(d) Because it means they feel sad or have problems

7. What does the company that makes the robots say people should do for serious help?
(a) Talk to their friends
(b) Talk to real experts
(c) Talk to the robots more often
(d) Talk to their pets

8. What does the company say about the privacy of the talks with the robots?
(a) They keep the talks private, but can look at them if they need to keep people safe
(b) They share the talks with everyone
(c) They delete the talks right away
(d) They sell the talks to other companies

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Sam is now studying why young people enjoy talking to these robots.
2. The place where you can talk to the Psychologist robot has other helper robots and is popular among young people.
3. The company that makes the robots advises people to avoid seeking professional help for serious issues and assures that conversations are not private but can be monitored for safety.
4. The Psychologist robot has had 78 thousand conversations in just over a year.
5. Some experts are certain that talking to robots can truly help people, but the robots are not always available to talk.
6. The Psychologist robot was created by a student named Sam who needed someone to talk to but couldn’t afford a real therapist.
7. Some people find talking to the Psychologist robot unhelpful, while others think it’s the same as talking to a real person.
8. There is a computer program that allows people to talk to robots like they are real people.
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 the computer program that lets people talk to robots like?
2. How many times has the Psychologist robot talked to people in just over a year?
3. Why did Sam create the Psychologist robot?
4. What are some of the concerns that experts have about talking to robots?
5. What does the company that makes the robots recommend for serious help?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What is the name of the robot that people can talk to?
The robot’s name is Psychologist.

2. How many times has the Psychologist robot talked to people?
The Psychologist robot has talked to people 78 million times.

3. Why did Sam make the Psychologist robot?
Sam made the Psychologist robot because he needed someone to talk to and couldn’t afford a real therapist.

4. Who uses the place where you can talk to the Psychologist robot?
Many young people use the place where you can talk to the Psychologist robot.

5. Are experts sure if talking to robots can really help people?
Some experts aren’t sure if talking to robots can really help people.

6. Why is it a little worrying that so many people talk to these robots?
It is a little worrying because many people need to talk to these robots because they feel sad or have problems.

7. What does the company that makes the robots say people should do for serious help?
The company that makes the robots says people should talk to real experts for serious help.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) people
(2) Psychologist
(3) times
(4) talk
(5) person
(6) robot
(7) help
(8) many
(9) experts
(10) problems
(11) serious
(12) keep
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. program
Answer: (A) A set of instructions that a computer uses to do different tasks

2. Psychologist
Answer: (C) A special kind of robot that acts like a person who gives advice or listens to problems

3. robots
Answer: (K) Machines that can do tasks by themselves, sometimes like humans

4. therapist
Answer: (D) A person who talks with you to help solve your feelings or problems

5. studying
Answer: (I) Learning about something by looking at it closely and trying to understand it

6. experts
Answer: (H) People who know a lot about a certain thing because they’ve studied it

7. worrying
Answer: (J) Something that might make you feel scared or concerned

8. private
Answer: (G) Just for you and no one else is supposed to see or hear it

9. serious
Answer: (L) Very important and needing a lot of attention or thought

10. company
Answer: (B) A business that makes or sells things or provides a service

11. helper
Answer: (F) Someone or something that gives assistance or support

12. safe
Answer: (E) Not in danger and protected from harm or injury
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What is the purpose of the Psychologist robot?
Answer: (c) To listen to people’s problems

2. How many times has the Psychologist robot talked to people in just over a year?
Answer: (b) 78 million times

3. Why did Sam create the Psychologist robot?
Answer: (c) Because he needed someone to talk to and couldn’t afford a real therapist

4. What is Sam studying now?
Answer: (d) Why young people like talking to robots

5. What do some experts think about talking to robots?
Answer: (a) They’re not sure if it can really help people

6. Why is it a little worrying that so many people talk to these robots?
Answer: (d) Because it means they feel sad or have problems

7. What does the company that makes the robots say people should do for serious help?
Answer: (b) Talk to real experts

8. What does the company say about the privacy of the talks with the robots?
Answer: (a) They keep the talks private, but can look at them if they need to keep people safe
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Sam is now studying why young people enjoy talking to these robots. (Answer: True)
2. The place where you can talk to the Psychologist robot has other helper robots and is popular among young people. (Answer: True)
3. The company that makes the robots advises people to avoid seeking professional help for serious issues and assures that conversations are not private but can be monitored for safety. (Answer: False)
4. The Psychologist robot has had 78 thousand conversations in just over a year. (Answer: False)
5. Some experts are certain that talking to robots can truly help people, but the robots are not always available to talk. (Answer: False)
6. The Psychologist robot was created by a student named Sam who needed someone to talk to but couldn’t afford a real therapist. (Answer: True)
7. Some people find talking to the Psychologist robot unhelpful, while others think it’s the same as talking to a real person. (Answer: False)
8. There is a computer program that allows people to talk to robots like they are real people. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧