The Reading / Listening - A.I. Extinction - Level 4

Artificial intelligence is an existential threat. So says a U.S. report, which painted a worst-case-scenario "extinction-level threat" to humanity. It identified a "growing risk to national security". The report said there was a "clear and urgent need" for the government to intervene "quickly and decisively". It said AI could destabilise global security, "in ways reminiscent of the introduction of nuclear weapons". It called for the regulation of AI companies.

The report was commissioned by the U.S. State Department. Experts spoke at length to AI companies like OpenAI and Google. The experts recommended upper limits on the amount of computing power for an AI model. They also recommended making it illegal to reveal the coding behind AI. The Futurism.com website spoke to researchers who said: "There's a five per cent chance that humans will be driven to extinction."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    A.I. Extinction - Level 5 or  A.I. Extinction - Level 6

Sources
  • https://futurism.com/state-department-ai-warning-compute
  • https://time.com/6898967/ai-extinction-national-security-risks-report/
  • https://www.commondreams.org/news/state-department-commissioned-report-warns-a-i-could-be-an-extinction-level-threat


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. Artificial intelligence is
  2. a worst-case
  3. It identified a growing
  4. national
  5. there was a clear and
  6. intervene quickly
  7. AI could destabilise
  8. It called for the regulation
  1. urgent need
  2. security
  3. of AI companies
  4. and decisively
  5. scenario
  6. global security
  7. an existential threat
  8. risk

Paragraph 2

  1. commissioned by
  2. Experts spoke
  3. The experts recommended
  4. the amount of computing
  5. making it illegal to reveal
  6. The Futurism.com website
  7. There's a five per cent
  8. driven
  1. spoke to researchers
  2. upper limits
  3. to extinction
  4. chance
  5. power
  6. the U.S. State Department
  7. the coding behind
  8. at length

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Artificial intelligence (1) ___________________ threat. So says a U.S. report, which painted a (2) ___________________ "extinction-level threat" to humanity. It (3) ___________________ risk to national security". The report said there was a "(4) ___________________ need" for the government to intervene "(5) ___________________". It said AI could destabilise global security, "in ways reminiscent of the introduction of nuclear weapons". It called (6) ___________________ of AI companies.

The report (7) ___________________ the U.S. State Department. Experts (8) ___________________ to AI companies like OpenAI and Google. The experts recommended (9) ___________________ the amount of computing power for an AI model. They also recommended making it illegal to (10) ___________________ behind AI. The Futurism.com (11) ___________________ researchers who said: "There's a five per cent chance that humans will be (12) ___________________."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Artificialintelligenceisanexistentialthreat.SosaysaU.S.report,which
paintedaworst-case-scenario"extinction-levelthreat"tohumanity.It
identifieda"growingrisktonationalsecurity".Thereportsaidtherewas
a"clearandurgentneed"forthegovernmenttointervene"quicklyandde
cisively".ItsaidAIcoulddestabiliseglobalsecurity,"inwaysreminiscent
oftheintroductionofnuclearweapons".ItcalledfortheregulationofAIc
ompanies.ThereportwascommissionedbytheU.S.StateDepartment.
ExpertsspokeatlengthtoAIcompanieslikeOpenAIandGoogle.Theexp
ertsrecommendedupperlimitsontheamountofcomputingpowerforan
AImodel.Theyalsorecommendedmakingitillegaltorevealthecodingb
ehindAI.TheFuturism.comwebsitespoketoresearcherswhosaid:"The
re'safivepercentchancethathumanswillbedriventoextinction."

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

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_____________________________________________________________________________

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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