Amazon has made a new helper robot that can talk and think like a human. This robot, called Q, helps people at work do things faster, like making short summaries of long papers or group talks. Amazon wants Q to be part of its main work tools, so more companies will use Amazon’s computer services. Q can also answer questions from customers, make charts, look at numbers, and help with computer programming.
Big companies are trying to make the best talking robots. Microsoft is doing really well because it spent a lot of money on a robot called ChatGPT. Amazon also put money into a company that makes smart robots, and it has a service that helps teach robots. Amazon says that when companies use Q, they won’t get in trouble for using other people’s work, like some other robot companies did.
Amazon is working hard to make Q help people do their jobs better. Q can do many things, like making work easier and looking at information. Amazon wants more companies to use its computer services because of Q. They also want to make sure companies don’t have problems with using other people’s work. Amazon and other big companies are trying to be the best at making smart robots.
Original news source: Amazon latest tech giant to announce AI chatbot (BBC)
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Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– Headline Creation
Instructions: In pairs or small groups, students will create catchy headlines for an article about Amazon’s new helper robot, Q. Encourage them to use their creativity and English language skills to come up with attention-grabbing headlines.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into teams. Give each team a list of vocabulary words from the article related to Amazon’s helper robot, Q. One student from each team will choose a word and draw it on the board while their team tries to guess the word. The team with the most correct guesses wins.
– Pros and Cons
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs or small groups. Students will discuss the pros and cons of using helper robots like Q in the workplace. Encourage them to use English language expressions to express their opinions and support their arguments. After the discussion, each group can share their thoughts with the class.
– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Read a sentence or idea from the article related to Amazon’s helper robot, Q. Students will take a moment to think about it individually, then pair up with a partner to discuss their thoughts. Finally, pairs will share their ideas with the rest of the class.
– Future Predictions
Instructions: In pairs or small groups, students will discuss and make predictions about the future of helper robots like Q. They can consider how these robots might impact various industries or daily life. Each group will then present their predictions to the class.
Comprehension Questions:
1. What can the helper robot Q do to help people at work?
2. Why does Amazon want more companies to use its computer services?
3. How did Microsoft become successful with its robot called ChatGPT?
4. What did Amazon do with a company that makes smart robots?
5. Why does Amazon say companies won’t get in trouble for using Q?
6. What is Amazon working hard to do with Q?
7. Why are big companies like Amazon trying to be the best at making smart robots?
Go to answers ⇩
Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
Amazon has (1)______ a new helper robot that can talk and think like a human. This robot, called Q, (2)______ people at work do things faster, like making short summaries of long papers or group talks. Amazon wants Q to be (3)______ of its main work tools, so more companies will use Amazon’s computer services. Q can also answer questions from customers, make charts, look at numbers, and help with computer (4)______.
Big companies are trying to make the best talking (5)______. Microsoft is (6)______ really well because it spent a lot of money on a robot called ChatGPT. Amazon also put money into a company that (7)______ smart robots, and it has a (8)______ that helps teach robots. Amazon says that when (9)______ use Q, they won’t get in trouble for using other people’s work, like some other robot companies did.
Amazon is working hard to make Q help people do their jobs better. Q can do many things, like making (10)______ easier and looking at information. Amazon wants more companies to use its computer services because of Q. They also want to make sure companies don’t (11)______ problems with using other people’s work. Amazon and other big companies are trying to be the best at making (12)______ robots.
Go to answers ⇩
Discussion Questions:
Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.
1. What is a helper robot?
2. How would you feel if you had a robot that could do your work faster?
3. Do you like the idea of a robot answering questions from customers? Why or why not?
4. Do you think it’s important for companies to use computer services like Q? Why or why not?
5. What do you think about companies spending a lot of money on smart robots?
6. How do you think Q can make work easier for people?
7. Do you think it’s fair for companies to use other people’s work with the help of robots? Why or why not?
8. What do you think about Amazon’s goal of being the best at making smart robots?
9. How do you think Q can help with computer programming?
10. Would you like to have a robot like Q to help you with your homework? Why or why not?
11. How do you think Q can make group talks and meetings more efficient?
12. Do you think robots like Q will become more common in the future? Why or why not?
Individual Activities
Vocabulary Meanings:
Match each word to its meaning.
Words:
1. robot
2. helper
3. talk
4. think
5. work
6. companies
7. customers
8. computer
Meanings:
(a) Someone or something that assists or aids
(b) People who buy goods or services
(c) To communicate using words
(d) Activities done to earn money or achieve a goal
(e) Organizations that produce goods or services
(f) To use your brain to solve problems
(g) A machine that processes and stores information
(h) A machine that can do tasks like a person
Go to answers ⇩
Multiple Choice Questions:
1. What is the name of the new helper robot made by Amazon?
(a) R
(b) Q
(c) P
(d) S
2. What can Q do to help people at work?
(a) Cook meals for employees
(b) Play video games
(c) Make short summaries of long papers
(d) Paint pictures
3. Why does Amazon want more companies to use its computer services?
(a) Because of Q
(b) Because of ChatGPT
(c) Because of Microsoft
(d) Because of smart robots
4. What did Amazon do to make sure companies don’t have problems with using other people’s work?
(a) Created a service that helps teach robots
(b) Invested in a company that makes smart robots
(c) Made Q answer questions from customers
(d) Spent a lot of money on ChatGPT
5. What are big companies like Amazon trying to be the best at making?
(a) Long papers
(b) Group talks
(c) Computer programming
(d) Smart robots
6. What is the name of the robot that Microsoft is doing well with?
(a) Q
(b) R
(c) ChatGPT
(d) P
7. What can Q do besides answering questions from customers?
(a) Cook meals
(b) Play video games
(c) Paint pictures
(d) Make charts
8. What is one thing Q can do to help people do their jobs better?
(a) Make work easier
(b) Make work harder
(c) Make work longer
(d) Make work more confusing
Go to answers ⇩
True or False Questions:
1. Q helps people at work by doing tasks faster, like summarizing papers and group talks.
2. Microsoft has also created a robot called ChatGPT, which is doing well.
3. Amazon has created a robot called Q that can talk and think like a human.
4. Amazon assures that companies using Q won’t get in trouble for using other people’s work, unlike some other robot companies.
5. Q cannot answer customer questions, make charts, analyze numbers, or assist with computer programming.
6. Amazon does not want Q to be a part of its main work tools so that fewer companies will use Amazon’s computer services.
7. Amazon and other small companies are collaborating to create the best smart robots and want fewer companies to use their computer services.
8. Amazon has divested money in a company that makes dumb robots and offers a service to hinder robots from learning.
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 name of the new robot made by Amazon?
2. What are some things that Q can do to help people at work?
3. Why does Amazon want more companies to use its computer services?
4. What is the name of the robot made by Microsoft?
5. Why is Amazon working hard to make Q better at helping people with their jobs?
Answers
Comprehension Question Answers:
1. What can the helper robot Q do to help people at work?
Q can help people at work by making short summaries of long papers or group talks, answering questions from customers, making charts, looking at numbers, and helping with computer programming.
2. Why does Amazon want more companies to use its computer services?
Amazon wants more companies to use its computer services so that they can use Q as part of their main work tools. This will help Amazon’s computer services become more popular and used by many companies.
3. How did Microsoft become successful with its robot called ChatGPT?
Microsoft became successful with ChatGPT because they spent a lot of money on it. They invested a lot of money into making a good talking robot.
4. What did Amazon do with a company that makes smart robots?
Amazon put money into a company that makes smart robots. They probably invested in the company to help them make better robots.
5. Why does Amazon say companies won’t get in trouble for using Q?
Amazon says companies won’t get in trouble for using Q because they made sure that Q doesn’t use other people’s work without permission. They want companies to feel safe and not worry about legal problems.
6. What is Amazon working hard to do with Q?
Amazon is working hard to make Q help people do their jobs better. They want Q to be really useful and make work easier for people.
7. Why are big companies like Amazon trying to be the best at making smart robots?
Big companies like Amazon are trying to be the best at making smart robots because they want to be the top choice for companies who need robots. They want to be known for making the best and most helpful robots.
Go back to questions ⇧
Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:
(1) made
(2) helps
(3) part
(4) programming
(5) robots
(6) doing
(7) makes
(8) service
(9) companies
(10) work
(11) have
(12) smart
Go back to questions ⇧
Vocabulary Meanings Answers:
1. robot
Answer: (h) A machine that can do tasks like a person
2. helper
Answer: (a) Someone or something that assists or aids
3. talk
Answer: (c) To communicate using words
4. think
Answer: (f) To use your brain to solve problems
5. work
Answer: (d) Activities done to earn money or achieve a goal
6. companies
Answer: (e) Organizations that produce goods or services
7. customers
Answer: (b) People who buy goods or services
8. computer
Answer: (g) A machine that processes and stores information
Go back to questions ⇧
Multiple Choice Answers:
1. What is the name of the new helper robot made by Amazon?
Answer: (b) Q
2. What can Q do to help people at work?
Answer: (c) Make short summaries of long papers
3. Why does Amazon want more companies to use its computer services?
Answer: (a) Because of Q
4. What did Amazon do to make sure companies don’t have problems with using other people’s work?
Answer: (b) Invested in a company that makes smart robots
5. What are big companies like Amazon trying to be the best at making?
Answer: (d) Smart robots
6. What is the name of the robot that Microsoft is doing well with?
Answer: (c) ChatGPT
7. What can Q do besides answering questions from customers?
Answer: (d) Make charts
8. What is one thing Q can do to help people do their jobs better?
Answer: (a) Make work easier
Go back to questions ⇧
True or False Answers:
1. Q helps people at work by doing tasks faster, like summarizing papers and group talks. (Answer: True)
2. Microsoft has also created a robot called ChatGPT, which is doing well. (Answer: True)
3. Amazon has created a robot called Q that can talk and think like a human. (Answer: True)
4. Amazon assures that companies using Q won’t get in trouble for using other people’s work, unlike some other robot companies. (Answer: True)
5. Q cannot answer customer questions, make charts, analyze numbers, or assist with computer programming. (Answer: False)
6. Amazon does not want Q to be a part of its main work tools so that fewer companies will use Amazon’s computer services. (Answer: False)
7. Amazon and other small companies are collaborating to create the best smart robots and want fewer companies to use their computer services. (Answer: False)
8. Amazon has divested money in a company that makes dumb robots and offers a service to hinder robots from learning. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧
