The word “artificial intelligence” has been chosen as the word of the year by Collins Dictionary for 2023. This is because the term has been used a lot more this year, showing that people are talking more about the impact of AI on society. Some are hopeful about the amazing changes AI could bring, while others worry about the negative effects it might have.
Collins managing director Alex Beecroft said that AI has become a big deal in 2023, as it’s quickly becoming a part of our daily lives, much like email and streaming. The powerful impact of artificial intelligence on our fast-changing world, driven by algorithms and data, is why it’s the word of the year.
The announcement comes as UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hosts a summit to talk about how to make the most of AI’s benefits while reducing the risks. Also, the Beatles used AI to bring back John Lennon’s voice from an old cassette for their upcoming release, showing how diverse AI’s uses can be.
The word of the year usually shows what people are most concerned about at the time. In 2022, it was “permacrisis,” and in 2020, it was “lockdown.” Other words that were considered for the word of the year in 2023 were “ultraprocessed,” “debanking,” and “greedflation,” reflecting the wide range of topics that have caught the public’s attention.
In conclusion, choosing “artificial intelligence” as the word of the year shows how important AI has become in today’s conversations and how it could affect many parts of society.
Original news source: AI named word of the year by Collins Dictionary (BBC)
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Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– Headline Creation
Instructions: Students are to create eye-catching newspaper headlines that could accompany the article. Encourage them to use puns, metaphors, or wordplay related to artificial intelligence, and then share and discuss their creativity with the class.
– Opinion Spectrum
Instructions: Create a line in the classroom with one end labeled ‘Highly Positive’ and the other ‘Highly Negative.’ Read statements about the impact of AI on society from the article, and have students position themselves along the line according to their opinion. Afterward, let them discuss why they chose their positions.
– News Reporter Role-play
Instructions: Pair up students and assign them roles as TV news reporters. One student is the anchor in the studio, and the other is a correspondent at the summit hosted by the UK Prime Minister. They must create a script and act out a news segment discussing the significance of AI and the summit’s goals based on the article.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write down key terms from the article on slips of paper (e.g., artificial intelligence, algorithms, summit, permacrisis, debanking, greedflation). Students pick a slip and draw the concept on the board without using words or letters. The rest of the class must guess the term based on the drawing.
– Future Predictions
Instructions: Ask students to write a short paragraph predicting how artificial intelligence will change a particular aspect of life (e.g., work, education, entertainment) in the next ten years. They should use information from the article to support their predictions. Share and discuss as a class.
Comprehension Questions:
1. What term was selected as the word of the year by Collins Dictionary for 2023?
2. Why was “artificial intelligence” chosen as the word of the year?
3. What does Alex Beecroft, the managing director of Collins, compare the integration of AI to in our daily lives?
4. What event is UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hosting in relation to artificial intelligence?
5. How did the Beatles utilize AI for their upcoming music release?
6. What does the word of the year typically reflect about society?
7. Can you name one of the other words that were considered for the word of the year in 2023?
8. What does the selection of “artificial intelligence” as the word of the year indicate about its role in society?
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Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
The word “artificial intelligence” has been (1)______ as the word of the year by (2)______ Dictionary for 2023. This is because the term has been used a lot more this year, showing that people are talking more about the impact of AI on society. Some are hopeful about the (3)______ changes AI could bring, while others worry about the negative (4)______ it might have.
Collins managing director Alex Beecroft said that AI has become a big deal in 2023, as it’s quickly becoming a part of our (5)______ lives, much like email and streaming. The (6)______ impact of artificial intelligence on our fast-changing (7)______, driven by algorithms and data, is why it’s the word of the year.
The announcement comes as UK Prime Minister (8)______ Sunak hosts a summit to talk about how to make the most of AI’s benefits while reducing the risks. Also, the (9)______ used AI to (10)______ back John Lennon’s voice from an old cassette for their (11)______ release, showing how diverse AI’s uses can be.
The word of the year usually shows what people are most (12)______ about at the time. In 2022, it was “permacrisis,” and in 2020, it was “lockdown.” Other words that were considered for the word of the year in 2023 were “ultraprocessed,” “debanking,” and “greedflation,” reflecting the wide range of topics that have (13)______ the public’s attention.
In conclusion, (14)______ “artificial intelligence” as the word of the year shows how important AI has (15)______ in today’s (16)______ and how it could affect many parts of society.
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Discussion Questions:
Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.
1. What is artificial intelligence to you?
2. How would you feel if AI started doing your homework?
3. Do you like the idea of AI being a big part of our daily lives? Why or why not?
4. Do you think AI can be creative, like bringing back a singer’s voice? Why?
5. What are some amazing changes you think AI could bring to your life?
6. Are you worried about any negative effects of AI? Can you name some?
7. If you could use AI for anything, what would it be?
8. How do you think AI might change the way we work in the future?
9. Do you believe AI can ever be too powerful? Why or why not?
10. What’s something you do every day that you would trust AI to do for you?
11. Have you ever used AI before? What was it like?
12. Do you think it’s important for leaders to talk about the risks of AI?
13. What does the term “ultraprocessed” make you think of? How is it different from AI?
14. Can you think of a movie or book about AI? Did it make you excited or scared about AI?
15. If you had to pick a word of the year for your own life, what would it be and why?
Individual Activities
Vocabulary Meanings:
Match each word to its meaning.
Words:
1. artificial
2. intelligence
3. impact
4. algorithms
5. diverse
6. permacrisis
7. debanking
8. greedflation
Meanings:
(a) The process of removing someone’s access to banking services
(b) A situation of ongoing crisis or permanent crisis
(c) The effect or influence of something
(d) Step-by-step procedures or formulas for solving problems
(e) A combination of greed and inflation
(f) The ability to learn and understand things
(g) Showing a variety of different uses or types
(h) Not natural, made by humans
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Multiple Choice Questions:
1. Why has “artificial intelligence” been chosen as the word of the year by Collins Dictionary for 2023?
(a) Because it’s a new word that just became popular.
(b) Because it’s a difficult word to understand and people are curious about it.
(c) Because it’s the longest word in the dictionary.
(d) Because the term has been used a lot more this year, showing that people are talking more about the impact of AI on society.
2. According to Collins managing director Alex Beecroft, why has AI become a big deal in 2023?
(a) It’s a new concept that people are just starting to talk about.
(b) It’s quickly becoming a part of our daily lives, much like email and streaming.
(c) It’s only used by a small group of people.
(d) It’s not really that important in today’s world.
3. What is the purpose of the summit hosted by UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak?
(a) To ban the use of AI in society.
(b) To discuss the negative effects of AI.
(c) To talk about how to make the most of AI’s benefits while reducing the risks.
(d) To promote the use of AI in every aspect of life.
4. How did the Beatles use AI recently?
(a) To bring back John Lennon’s voice from an old cassette for their upcoming release.
(b) To create a new type of music that has never been heard before.
(c) To replace all the band members with AI robots.
(d) To write all their songs for them.
5. What does the word of the year usually show?
(a) What people are most concerned about at the time.
(b) What the dictionary editors like the most.
(c) What the government wants people to talk about.
(d) What is the longest word in the dictionary.
6. What were some other words considered for the word of the year in 2023?
(a) “Happy,” “Sad,” “Angry.”
(b) “ultraprocessed,” “debanking,” and “greedflation.”
(c) “Cat,” “Dog,” “Bird.”
(d) “Big,” “Small,” “Medium.”
7. What does choosing “artificial intelligence” as the word of the year show?
(a) That AI is not really that important.
(b) That people don’t really understand what AI is.
(c) That AI will never be a part of our daily lives.
(d) How important AI has become in today’s conversations and how it could affect many parts of society.
8. What is the main concern about AI mentioned in the article?
(a) The lack of uses for AI.
(b) The difficulty of understanding AI.
(c) The negative effects it might have.
(d) The fact that AI is not popular.
Go to answers ⇩
True or False Questions:
1. 1. “Artificial intelligence” has not been chosen as the word of the year by Collins Dictionary for 2023.
2. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is not hosting a summit to discuss how to maximize AI’s benefits while minimizing the risks.
3. Choosing “artificial intelligence” as the word of the year does not reflect the importance of AI in today’s conversations and its potential impact on society.
4. Some people are hopeful about the positive changes AI could bring, while others are worried about the negative effects.
5. The Beatles used AI to bring back John Lennon’s voice from an old cassette for their upcoming release.
6. Collins managing director Alex Beecroft said that AI has not quickly become a part of our daily lives, much like email and streaming.
7. People are talking more about the impact of AI on society, leading to the word’s selection.
8. Other words considered for the word of the year in 2023 were “ultraprocessed,” “debanking,” and “greedflation.”
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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 the term “artificial intelligence” being chosen as the word of the year indicate about society’s interests?
2. Can you explain why artificial intelligence is compared to email and streaming by Collins managing director Alex Beecroft?
3. What event did the UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak organize, and what was its purpose?
4. How did the Beatles demonstrate a creative use of artificial intelligence in their latest project?
5. What were some of the other words considered for the word of the year in 2023, and what do they reflect about public concerns?
Answers
Comprehension Question Answers:
1. What term was selected as the word of the year by Collins Dictionary for 2023?
“Artificial intelligence” was selected as the word of the year by Collins Dictionary for 2023.
2. Why was “artificial intelligence” chosen as the word of the year?
It was chosen because the term has been used a lot more this year, indicating that people are discussing the impact of AI on society more frequently.
3. What does Alex Beecroft, the managing director of Collins, compare the integration of AI to in our daily lives?
Alex Beecroft compares the integration of AI in our daily lives to how common email and streaming have become.
4. What event is UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hosting in relation to artificial intelligence?
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is hosting a summit to discuss how to maximize the benefits of AI while minimizing its risks.
5. How did the Beatles utilize AI for their upcoming music release?
The Beatles used AI to recreate John Lennon’s voice from an old cassette for their upcoming release.
6. What does the word of the year typically reflect about society?
The word of the year typically reflects what people are most concerned about at the time.
7. Can you name one of the other words that were considered for the word of the year in 2023?
One of the other words considered for the word of the year in 2023 was “ultraprocessed.”
8. What does the selection of “artificial intelligence” as the word of the year indicate about its role in society?
The selection of “artificial intelligence” as the word of the year indicates that AI is becoming increasingly important and influential in today’s conversations and could significantly affect many aspects of society.
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Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:
(1) chosen
(2) Collins
(3) amazing
(4) effects
(5) daily
(6) powerful
(7) world
(8) Rishi
(9) Beatles
(10) bring
(11) upcoming
(12) concerned
(13) caught
(14) choosing
(15) become
(16) conversations
Go back to questions ⇧
Vocabulary Meanings Answers:
1. artificial
Answer: (h) Not natural, made by humans
2. intelligence
Answer: (f) The ability to learn and understand things
3. impact
Answer: (c) The effect or influence of something
4. algorithms
Answer: (d) Step-by-step procedures or formulas for solving problems
5. diverse
Answer: (g) Showing a variety of different uses or types
6. permacrisis
Answer: (b) A situation of ongoing crisis or permanent crisis
7. debanking
Answer: (a) The process of removing someone’s access to banking services
8. greedflation
Answer: (e) A combination of greed and inflation
Go back to questions ⇧
Multiple Choice Answers:
1. Why has “artificial intelligence” been chosen as the word of the year by Collins Dictionary for 2023?
Answer: (d) Because the term has been used a lot more this year, showing that people are talking more about the impact of AI on society.
2. According to Collins managing director Alex Beecroft, why has AI become a big deal in 2023?
Answer: (b) It’s quickly becoming a part of our daily lives, much like email and streaming.
3. What is the purpose of the summit hosted by UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak?
Answer: (c) To talk about how to make the most of AI’s benefits while reducing the risks.
4. How did the Beatles use AI recently?
Answer: (a) To bring back John Lennon’s voice from an old cassette for their upcoming release.
5. What does the word of the year usually show?
Answer: (a) What people are most concerned about at the time.
6. What were some other words considered for the word of the year in 2023?
Answer: (b) “ultraprocessed,” “debanking,” and “greedflation.”
7. What does choosing “artificial intelligence” as the word of the year show?
Answer: (d) How important AI has become in today’s conversations and how it could affect many parts of society.
8. What is the main concern about AI mentioned in the article?
Answer: (c) The negative effects it might have.
Go back to questions ⇧
True or False Answers:
1. 1. “Artificial intelligence” has not been chosen as the word of the year by Collins Dictionary for 2023. (Answer: False)
2. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is not hosting a summit to discuss how to maximize AI’s benefits while minimizing the risks. (Answer: False)
3. Choosing “artificial intelligence” as the word of the year does not reflect the importance of AI in today’s conversations and its potential impact on society. (Answer: False)
4. Some people are hopeful about the positive changes AI could bring, while others are worried about the negative effects. (Answer: True)
5. The Beatles used AI to bring back John Lennon’s voice from an old cassette for their upcoming release. (Answer: True)
6. Collins managing director Alex Beecroft said that AI has not quickly become a part of our daily lives, much like email and streaming. (Answer: False)
7. People are talking more about the impact of AI on society, leading to the word’s selection. (Answer: True)
8. Other words considered for the word of the year in 2023 were “ultraprocessed,” “debanking,” and “greedflation.” (Answer: True)
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