A man named Sir Demis Hassabis, who helps run a big company called DeepMind, thinks playing video games is good for kids. He says it can make them more creative, especially if they learn how to make their own games. When he was young, he played a lot of chess and video games, which he believes helped him succeed. He thinks it’s important for kids to be able to change and adapt because the world is always changing.

Sir Demis was really good at chess when he was a kid and even made his own video game as a teenager. After he finished school at Cambridge University, he started his own video games company and learned a lot about the brain. In 2010, he helped start DeepMind, and later, a big company called Google bought it. He was recently given a special honor called a knighthood for his work in making computers smarter, which he says is a big win for his whole team.

Some people are worried about how the smart computer programs, called AI, might cause problems, like making fake videos or being unfair. But Sir Demis thinks AI can do a lot of good things, even more than something big like nuclear power. He joined other smart people in saying we need to be careful with AI and make sure it’s used in a good way. He believes that scientists today know it’s important to think about how their work can affect the world.

Original news source: AI millionaire: ‘Video games can boost creativity’ (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs or small groups. Give each group a few minutes to read the article. Then, ask each group to summarize the main points of the article in their own words. After they have discussed and summarized, ask each group to share their summary with the rest of the class.

– Word Association
Instructions: Write the word “video games” on the board. Ask the students to brainstorm and write down as many words or phrases as they can think of that are related to video games. Encourage them to think about different aspects such as types of games, consoles, characters, etc. After a few minutes, ask each student to share one word or phrase from their list with the class.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Prepare a list of vocabulary words from the article, such as “video games,” “creativity,” “adapt,” “AI,” etc. Divide the class into two teams. One student from each team comes to the front of the class and you show them a vocabulary word from the list. They have one minute to draw a picture representing that word, while their team tries to guess what the word is. The team that guesses correctly gets a point. Continue until all the words have been used or time runs out.

– Speed Summarizing
Instructions: Give each student a copy of the article and a timer. Ask them to read the article quickly and set a time limit, such as 3 minutes. When the timer starts, students have to write a summary of the article within the given time. After the time is up, ask some students to share their summaries with the class.

– Pros and Cons
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs or small groups. Ask each group to discuss and make a list of the advantages and disadvantages of playing video games, based on the information in the article. After they have completed their lists, ask each group to share their ideas with the rest of the class and facilitate a class discussion on the topic.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Why does Sir Demis Hassabis think playing video games is good for kids?
2. What did Sir Demis do when he was young that he believes helped him succeed?
3. What did Sir Demis do after finishing school at Cambridge University?
4. What special honor did Sir Demis recently receive?
5. What are some worries people have about smart computer programs?
6. What does Sir Demis think about the potential of AI?
7. Why does Sir Demis believe it’s important for scientists to think about how their work can affect the world?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A man named Sir Demis Hassabis, who helps run a big company called (1)______, (2)______ playing video games is good for kids. He says it can make them more creative, especially if they learn how to make their own games. When he was young, he played a lot of chess and video games, which he (3)______ helped him succeed. He thinks it’s important for kids to be able to change and adapt because the world is always changing.

Sir Demis was really (4)______ at chess when he was a kid and even (5)______ his own video game as a teenager. After he finished (6)______ at Cambridge University, he started his own video games company and learned a lot about the brain. In 2010, he helped start DeepMind, and later, a big (7)______ called Google bought it. He was recently given a special honor called a knighthood for his (8)______ in making computers smarter, which he says is a big win for his whole team.

Some people are worried about how the smart computer programs, called AI, might (9)______ problems, like making fake videos or being unfair. But Sir Demis thinks AI can do a lot of good things, even more than something big like (10)______ power. He joined other (11)______ people in saying we need to be careful with AI and make sure it’s used in a good way. He believes that scientists today know it’s important to think about how their work can (12)______ the world.
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💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a video game?
2. How would you feel if you could make your own video game?
3. Do you like playing chess? Why or why not?
4. What do you think it means to be creative?
5. How do you think video games can help you become more creative?
6. Do you think it’s important for kids to be able to change and adapt? Why or why not?
7. What is a knighthood? Why do you think Sir Demis received one?
8. Are you worried about smart computer programs? Why or why not?
9. What do you think AI can do that is good?
10. Do you think scientists should think about how their work can affect the world? Why or why not?
11. How do you think AI could be used in a good way?
12. How do you think the world is always changing?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. creative
2. adapt
3. succeed
4. knighthood
5. artificial intelligence (AI)
6. nuclear
7. scientists
8. chess
9. honor
10. unfair
11. adaptability
12. affect

Meanings:
(A) The ability to change easily and succeed in different situations
(B) Machines or programs that can think or learn like humans
(C) To have an impact or change something
(D) Being able to change or get used to new situations
(E) Not right or just; giving someone a disadvantage
(F) People who study and experiment to learn more about the world
(G) A special title given by a king or queen for doing something amazing
(H) A game played on a board with 16 pieces for each player, needing a lot of thinking
(I) A sign of respect or admiration for someone
(J) A type of energy made by splitting atoms, very powerful
(K) To do really well or achieve a goal
(L) Having great ideas or being able to think of new things
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Who is Sir Demis Hassabis?
(a) A famous chess player
(b) A man who helps run DeepMind
(c) The CEO of Google
(d) A video game designer

2. According to Sir Demis, why is playing video games good for kids?
(a) It can make them better at chess
(b) It can make them smarter than adults
(c) It can make them famous
(d) It can make them more creative

3. What did Sir Demis do after finishing school at Cambridge University?
(a) Became a professional chess player
(b) Started his own video games company
(c) Started a big company called Google
(d) Became a scientist

4. What is DeepMind?
(a) A special honor given to Sir Demis
(b) A video game designed by Sir Demis
(c) A big company that Sir Demis helped start
(d) A smart computer program

5. Why did Google buy DeepMind?
(a) Because they wanted to make computers smarter
(b) Because they wanted to make video games
(c) Because they wanted to become famous
(d) Because they wanted to start their own company

6. What is AI?
(a) Smart computer programs
(b) A type of video game
(c) A special honor
(d) A type of chess strategy

7. What is one concern people have about AI?
(a) It might be unfair
(b) It might cause nuclear power problems
(c) It might make fake videos
(d) It might make people lazy

8. What does Sir Demis think about using AI?
(a) It should be banned
(b) It is not important
(c) It is only for adults
(d) It can do a lot of good things

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Sir Demis thinks it’s important for scientists to consider how their work can affect the world.
2. Sir Demis was recently given a standard honor called a knighthood for his work in making computers smarter.
3. Some people are worried that smart computer programs, called AI, might cause problems like making fake videos or being unfair.
4. Sir Demis Hassabis believes that playing video games can make kids less creative, especially if they learn how to make their own games.
5. Sir Demis was good at chess and video games when he was young, and he thinks it helped him succeed.
6. Sir Demis believes that AI can do a lot of terrible things, even more than something big like nuclear power.
7. After dropping out of school at Cambridge University, Sir Demis started his own video games company and learned about the brain.
8. In 2010, Sir Demis helped start DeepMind, a company that was later bought by Google.
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 does Sir Demis Hassabis think about playing video games?
2. How did Sir Demis Hassabis become successful?
3. What is DeepMind and who owns it?
4. What are some concerns people have about AI?
5. Why does Sir Demis Hassabis think scientists need to be careful with AI?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Why does Sir Demis Hassabis think playing video games is good for kids?
– Sir Demis thinks playing video games can make kids more creative, especially if they learn how to make their own games.

2. What did Sir Demis do when he was young that he believes helped him succeed?
– Sir Demis played a lot of chess and video games when he was young, which he believes helped him succeed.

3. What did Sir Demis do after finishing school at Cambridge University?
– After finishing school at Cambridge University, Sir Demis started his own video games company and learned a lot about the brain.

4. What special honor did Sir Demis recently receive?
– Sir Demis recently received a knighthood, which is a special honor, for his work in making computers smarter.

5. What are some worries people have about smart computer programs?
– Some worries people have about smart computer programs, called AI, are that they might make fake videos or be unfair.

6. What does Sir Demis think about the potential of AI?
– Sir Demis thinks AI can do a lot of good things and believes it has even more potential than something big like nuclear power.

7. Why does Sir Demis believe it’s important for scientists to think about how their work can affect the world?
– Sir Demis believes it’s important for scientists to think about how their work can affect the world because they need to be careful and make sure AI is used in a good way.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) DeepMind
(2) thinks
(3) believes
(4) good
(5) made
(6) school
(7) company
(8) work
(9) cause
(10) nuclear
(11) smart
(12) affect
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. creative
Answer: (L) Having great ideas or being able to think of new things

2. adapt
Answer: (D) Being able to change or get used to new situations

3. succeed
Answer: (K) To do really well or achieve a goal

4. knighthood
Answer: (G) A special title given by a king or queen for doing something amazing

5. artificial intelligence (AI)
Answer: (B) Machines or programs that can think or learn like humans

6. nuclear
Answer: (J) A type of energy made by splitting atoms, very powerful

7. scientists
Answer: (F) People who study and experiment to learn more about the world

8. chess
Answer: (H) A game played on a board with 16 pieces for each player, needing a lot of thinking

9. honor
Answer: (I) A sign of respect or admiration for someone

10. unfair
Answer: (E) Not right or just; giving someone a disadvantage

11. adaptability
Answer: (A) The ability to change easily and succeed in different situations

12. affect
Answer: (C) To have an impact or change something
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Who is Sir Demis Hassabis?
Answer: (b) A man who helps run DeepMind

2. According to Sir Demis, why is playing video games good for kids?
Answer: (d) It can make them more creative

3. What did Sir Demis do after finishing school at Cambridge University?
Answer: (b) Started his own video games company

4. What is DeepMind?
Answer: (c) A big company that Sir Demis helped start

5. Why did Google buy DeepMind?
Answer: (a) Because they wanted to make computers smarter

6. What is AI?
Answer: (a) Smart computer programs

7. What is one concern people have about AI?
Answer: (c) It might make fake videos

8. What does Sir Demis think about using AI?
Answer: (d) It can do a lot of good things
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Sir Demis thinks it’s important for scientists to consider how their work can affect the world. (Answer: True)
2. Sir Demis was recently given a standard honor called a knighthood for his work in making computers smarter. (Answer: False)
3. Some people are worried that smart computer programs, called AI, might cause problems like making fake videos or being unfair. (Answer: True)
4. Sir Demis Hassabis believes that playing video games can make kids less creative, especially if they learn how to make their own games. (Answer: False)
5. Sir Demis was good at chess and video games when he was young, and he thinks it helped him succeed. (Answer: True)
6. Sir Demis believes that AI can do a lot of terrible things, even more than something big like nuclear power. (Answer: False)
7. After dropping out of school at Cambridge University, Sir Demis started his own video games company and learned about the brain. (Answer: False)
8. In 2010, Sir Demis helped start DeepMind, a company that was later bought by Google. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧