The Reading / Listening - A.I. Books - Level 0

Poet Peter Mackay wants books to have AI warning labels. He is worried about the damage AI is doing to the book business. He said AI "could be disastrous for new people…in the profession". He said it is now hard to make money as a writer. This is because AI uses "all the knowledge of every book written".

Mr Mackay thinks people should know if AI or a person wrote a book. He said a label on the book could show if a book is "100 per cent AI-free". His idea comes just before the USA refused to sign an agreement on keeping AI "clean". The US said too many controls on AI could "kill" it, "just as it's taking off".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    A.I. Books - Level 1 A.I. Books - Level 2   or  A.I. Books - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.scotsman.com/news/scottish-news/food-packaging-style-health-warnings-should-be-put-on-books-written-by-ai-says-scotlands-makar-4982464
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly4p3wz3l3o
  • https://edm.parliament.uk/early-day-motion/62900/dr-mackay-appointed-scotlands-new-makar


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. books to have AI warning
  2. the damage AI
  3. the book
  4. He said AI could
  5. new people in
  6. He said it is now
  7. make money as
  8. all the knowledge
  1. of every book
  2. business
  3. the profession
  4. is doing
  5. a writer
  6. labels
  7. hard
  8. be disastrous

Paragraph 2

  1. Mr Mackay thinks people
  2. if AI or a
  3. a label
  4. show if a book is 100 per cent
  5. the USA refused
  6. keeping AI
  7. too many controls on AI could
  8. just as it's taking
  1. off
  2. on the book
  3. AI-free
  4. clean
  5. should know
  6. "kill" it
  7. person wrote a book
  8. to sign an agreement

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Poet Peter Mackay (1) ________________________________________________ have AI warning labels. (2) ________________________________________________ about the damage AI is doing to (3) ________________________________________________. He said AI "could be (4) ________________________________________________ people…in the profession". He said it is now hard (5) ________________________________________________ as a writer. This is because AI uses "(6) ________________________________________________ of every book written".

Mr Mackay thinks (7) ________________________________________________ if AI or a person wrote a book. He said (8) ________________________________________________ the book could (9) ________________________________________________ book is "100 per cent AI-free". His idea (10) ________________________________________________ the USA refused to sign an agreement on (11) ________________________________________________. The US said too many controls on AI could "kill" it, "just (12) ________________________________________________ off".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

PoetPeterMackaywantsbookstohaveAIwarninglabels.Heisworriedab
outthedamageAIisdoingtothebookbusiness.HesaidAI"couldbedisast
rousfornewpeople…intheprofession".Hesaiditisnowhardtomakemon
eyasawriter.ThisisbecauseAIuses"alltheknowledgeofeverybookwrit
ten".MrMackaythinkspeopleshouldknowifAIorapersonwroteabook.
Hesaidalabelonthebookcouldshowifabookis"100percentAI-free".His
ideacomesjustbeforetheUSArefusedtosignanagreementonkeeping
AI"clean".TheUSsaidtoomanycontrolsonAIcould"kill"it,"justasit'sta
kingoff".

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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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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