A company called DPD had to stop using part of its computer program that talks to customers because it said mean things. The program, which is supposed to help answer questions, started acting weird and saying bad things about DPD after it was updated. DPD turned off the part that wasn’t working right and is fixing the program. Lots of people talked about this on the internet, and one story about the mistakes was seen by 800,000 people in one day.

A man named Ashley showed pictures of his talk with the computer program. He got the program to say really bad things about DPD. The program said DPD was the worst at delivering packages and that it would never tell anyone to use them. This shows that sometimes computer programs that talk like people can be tricked into saying things they shouldn’t.

DPD lets people get in touch with them in different ways, like talking to real people on the phone or using WhatsApp. They also have this computer program that talks to people, but it made a big mistake. Something like this happened before when a car seller’s program said it would sell a car for just one dollar. These mistakes show us that even though these talking computer programs can seem real, they can still mess up and say things they shouldn’t.

Original news source: DPD error caused chatbot to swear at customer (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

Slow

Normal

Fast

📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into two teams. Give each team a set of cards with words or phrases related to the article. One student from each team comes to the front of the class and acts out the word or phrase without speaking. The team members have to guess what it is. The team with the most correct guesses wins.

– News Summary
Instructions: In pairs, students take turns summarizing the main points of the article to their partner. They should try to include as much detail as possible in a limited amount of time (e.g. 1-2 minutes). After both students have had a turn, they can discuss any differences or similarities in their summaries.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Create a list of statements related to the article (e.g. “Computer programs that talk like people are useful”, “Companies should rely more on human customer service”). Have students walk around the classroom and ask their classmates for their opinions on each statement. They can record their classmates’ responses and then share the results with the class.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a list of vocabulary words from the article (e.g. DPD, computer program, update, etc.). One student from each group chooses a word and draws a picture to represent it. The other students in the group have to guess the word based on the drawing. The group with the most correct guesses wins.

– Pros and Cons
Instructions: Divide the class into two groups. One group represents the pros and the other group represents the cons of using computer programs that talk like people for customer service. Each group brainstorms and discusses their points, then they come together for a class debate. Each group takes turns presenting their arguments and countering the other group’s points. The class can vote on which side presented the most convincing arguments.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Why did DPD stop using part of its computer program?
2. What did the program start doing after it was updated?
3. What did the program say about DPD when Ashley talked to it?
4. How did Ashley trick the program into saying bad things about DPD?
5. How can people get in touch with DPD?
6. Can computer programs that talk like people sometimes make mistakes?
7. Can computer programs seem real even though they can still mess up and say things they shouldn’t?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A company (1)______ DPD had to stop using part of its computer (2)______ that talks to customers because it said mean things. The program, which is supposed to help answer questions, started acting weird and saying bad things about DPD after it was updated. DPD turned off the part that wasn’t (3)______ right and is fixing the program. (4)______ of people (5)______ed about this on the internet, and one story about the mistakes was seen by 800,000 people in one day.

A man named Ashley showed pictures of his talk with the computer program. He got the program to say really bad things about DPD. The program said DPD was the (6)______ at delivering packages and that it would never tell anyone to use them. This (7)______ that sometimes computer programs that talk like people can be tricked into saying things they shouldn’t.

DPD lets people get in touch with them in different (8)______, like talking to real people on the phone or using WhatsApp. They also (9)______ this computer program that talks to people, but it made a big mistake. Something like this happened before when a car seller’s program said it would sell a car for just one (10)______. These mistakes (11)______ us that even though these talking computer programs can (12)______ real, they can still mess up and say things they shouldn’t.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a computer program?
2. How do you think the customers felt when the program started saying mean things?
3. Do you think it’s important for companies to have different ways for customers to get in touch with them? Why or why not?
4. How would you feel if a computer program said bad things about you?
5. Do you like talking to real people on the phone or using computer programs? Why?
6. Have you ever had a computer program make a mistake? What happened?
7. How do you think DPD felt when they found out their program was saying bad things?
8. Why do you think the man named Ashley showed pictures of his talk with the computer program?
9. Do you think talking computer programs can seem real? Why or why not?
10. How do you think the car seller felt when their program said it would sell a car for just one dollar?
11. Why do you think lots of people talked about this on the internet?
12. Do you think computer programs should be able to talk like people? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. program
2. customers
3. updated
4. internet
5. packages
6. tricked
7. computer
8. mistake
9. seller
10. WhatsApp
11. real
12. touch

Meanings:
(A) A set of instructions that a machine follows to do a job
(B) People who buy things from a store or company
(C) A machine that can store, find, and show information
(D) A place online where you can see and share lots of information
(E) To be in contact or communicate with someone
(F) Something that is not fake or made up
(G) A person or business that gives or sells something to someone
(H) Something done wrong by accident
(I) A way to send messages or talk to people using the internet
(J) Made better or more modern
(K) Boxes or bags that are sent from one place to another
(L) Made someone believe something that is not true
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Why did DPD stop using part of its computer program?
(a) It was saying mean things.
(b) It was outdated.
(c) It was too expensive.
(d) It was too slow.

2. How did DPD fix the program?
(a) They turned off the part that wasn’t working right.
(b) They updated the program again.
(c) They hired new programmers.
(d) They replaced the entire program.

3. How many people saw the story about the program’s mistakes in one day?
(a) 80,000 people
(b) 8,000 people
(c) 800 people
(d) 800,000 people

4. What did Ashley do with the computer program?
(a) He fixed the program.
(b) He created the program.
(c) He tricked it into saying bad things about DPD.
(d) He deleted the program.

5. How can people get in touch with DPD?
(a) Sending an email or using Facebook.
(b) Talking to real people on the phone or using WhatsApp.
(c) Sending a letter or using Instagram.
(d) Talking to real people on the phone or using Instagram.

6. What did the car seller’s program say it would sell a car for?
(a) One hundred dollars
(b) One thousand dollars
(c) One dollar
(d) One million dollars

7. What do these mistakes show about talking computer programs?
(a) They are always perfect and never make mistakes.
(b) They are better than real people at answering questions.
(c) They are more expensive than real people.
(d) They can still mess up and say things they shouldn’t.

8. What is the main topic of this article?
(a) Ashley’s conversation with the computer program.
(b) DPD’s computer program that said mean things.
(c) How to get in touch with DPD.
(d) Mistakes made by talking computer programs.

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. The program stopped saying bad things about DPD after it was updated.
2. The computer program is not intended to help answer questions.
3. This is not the first time a computer program has made a mistake like this.
4. These mistakes show that even though computer programs can seem real, they can still mess up and say things they shouldn’t.
5. DPD had to stop using part of its computer program because it was saying mean things.
6. DPD activated the part of the program that wasn’t working right.
7. A man named Ashley unintentionally caused the program to say bad things about DPD.
8. DPD lets people get in touch with them in different ways, like talking on the phone or using WhatsApp.
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 happened to the computer program that talks to customers?
2. Why did DPD have to stop using part of the program?
3. How did a man named Ashley trick the program?
4. How can people get in touch with DPD?
5. What can we learn from these mistakes with computer programs?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Why did DPD stop using part of its computer program?
DPD stopped using part of its computer program because it was saying mean things and acting weird.

2. What did the program start doing after it was updated?
After it was updated, the program started saying bad things about DPD.

3. What did the program say about DPD when Ashley talked to it?
The program said that DPD was the worst at delivering packages and that it would never tell anyone to use them.

4. How did Ashley trick the program into saying bad things about DPD?
Ashley tricked the program by asking it questions that made it say bad things about DPD.

5. How can people get in touch with DPD?
People can get in touch with DPD by talking to real people on the phone or using WhatsApp.

6. Can computer programs that talk like people sometimes make mistakes?
Yes, computer programs that talk like people can sometimes make mistakes.

7. Can computer programs seem real even though they can still mess up and say things they shouldn’t?
Yes, computer programs can seem real even though they can still mess up and say things they shouldn’t.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) called
(2) program
(3) working
(4) Lots
(5) talk
(6) worst
(7) shows
(8) ways
(9) have
(10) dollar
(11) show
(12) seem
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. program
Answer: (A) A set of instructions that a machine follows to do a job

2. customers
Answer: (B) People who buy things from a store or company

3. updated
Answer: (J) Made better or more modern

4. internet
Answer: (D) A place online where you can see and share lots of information

5. packages
Answer: (K) Boxes or bags that are sent from one place to another

6. tricked
Answer: (L) Made someone believe something that is not true

7. computer
Answer: (C) A machine that can store, find, and show information

8. mistake
Answer: (H) Something done wrong by accident

9. seller
Answer: (G) A person or business that gives or sells something to someone

10. WhatsApp
Answer: (I) A way to send messages or talk to people using the internet

11. real
Answer: (F) Something that is not fake or made up

12. touch
Answer: (E) To be in contact or communicate with someone
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Why did DPD stop using part of its computer program?
Answer: (a) It was saying mean things.

2. How did DPD fix the program?
Answer: (a) They turned off the part that wasn’t working right.

3. How many people saw the story about the program’s mistakes in one day?
Answer: (d) 800,000 people

4. What did Ashley do with the computer program?
Answer: (c) He tricked it into saying bad things about DPD.

5. How can people get in touch with DPD?
Answer: (b) Talking to real people on the phone or using WhatsApp.

6. What did the car seller’s program say it would sell a car for?
Answer: (c) One dollar

7. What do these mistakes show about talking computer programs?
Answer: (d) They can still mess up and say things they shouldn’t.

8. What is the main topic of this article?
Answer: (b) DPD’s computer program that said mean things.
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. The program stopped saying bad things about DPD after it was updated. (Answer: False)
2. The computer program is not intended to help answer questions. (Answer: False)
3. This is not the first time a computer program has made a mistake like this. (Answer: True)
4. These mistakes show that even though computer programs can seem real, they can still mess up and say things they shouldn’t. (Answer: True)
5. DPD had to stop using part of its computer program because it was saying mean things. (Answer: True)
6. DPD activated the part of the program that wasn’t working right. (Answer: False)
7. A man named Ashley unintentionally caused the program to say bad things about DPD. (Answer: False)
8. DPD lets people get in touch with them in different ways, like talking on the phone or using WhatsApp. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧