The Reading / Listening - A.I. Books - Level 2

A poet from Scotland wants warnings to be put on books written by artificial intelligence (AI). Peter Mackay is Scotland's national poet. He is worried about the damage AI is doing to the publishing industry. He wants food packaging-style health warnings on AI-generated books. He told the BBC: "I have got huge concerns about AI in terms of the creation of new literature [and] new books, partly because…it could be disastrous for new people…in the profession." He added: "It's [now] very hard to make a living as a writer." This is because AI uses "all the knowledge of every book written".

Mr Mackay wants new books to have a mark that shows whether AI or a person wrote it. The mark could be like those on food labels. Mackay thinks the public needs to know about the level of AI input in a book. He said information could show if a book is "100 per cent AI-free or 100 per cent organically produced". Mackay's idea comes just before the USA and UK refused to sign an agreement on AI to keep it "clean". The US Vice President said too much regulation of AI could "kill a transformative industry just as it's taking off". He said "pro-growth AI policies" were more important than safety.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    A.I. Books - Level 0 A.I. Books - Level 1   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. A poet
  2. warnings to be
  3. He is worried about the damage
  4. the publishing
  5. food packaging-style
  6. new people in
  7. It's now very hard to make
  8. all the knowledge of every
  1. the profession
  2. health warnings
  3. a living
  4. put on books
  5. book written
  6. industry
  7. from Scotland
  8. AI is doing

Paragraph 2

  1. a mark that shows whether AI
  2. The mark could be like those
  3. the public needs to know about
  4. show if a book is
  5. the USA and UK refused to
  6. regulation of AI could kill a
  7. just as it's taking
  8. pro-growth AI
  1. transformative industry
  2. 100 per cent AI-free
  3. policies
  4. or a person wrote it
  5. the level of AI input
  6. off
  7. sign an agreement
  8. on food labels

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A poet from Scotland wants warnings to be (1) ___________________ written by artificial intelligence (AI). Peter Mackay is Scotland's national poet. He (2) ___________________ the damage AI is doing to the publishing industry. He wants food packaging-style (3) ___________________ AI-generated books. He told the BBC: "I have got (4) ___________________ AI in terms of the creation of new literature [and] new books, partly because…it could (5) ___________________ new people…in the profession." He added: "It's [now] very hard to make a living as a writer." This is because AI uses "all the knowledge of (6) ___________________".

Mr Mackay wants new books to (7) ___________________ that shows whether AI or a person wrote it. The mark could be like those on food labels. Mackay thinks (8) ___________________ to know about the level of AI input in a book. He said information could (9) ___________________ book is "100 per cent AI-free or 100 per cent organically produced". Mackay's (10) ___________________ before the USA and UK refused to sign an agreement on AI to keep it "clean". The US Vice President (11) ___________________ regulation of AI could "kill a transformative industry just as it's taking off". He said "pro-growth AI policies" were more (12) ___________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

ApoetfromScotlandwantswarningstobeputonbookswrittenbyartifici
alintelligence(AI).PeterMackayisScotland'snationalpoet.Heisworrie
daboutthedamageAIisdoingtothepublishingindustry.Hewantsfoodp
ackaging-stylehealthwarningsonAI-generatedbooks.HetoldtheBBC
:"IhavegothugeconcernsaboutAIintermsofthecreationofnewliteratu
re[and]newbooks,partlybecause…itcouldbedisastrousfornewpeople
…intheprofession."Headded:"It's[now]veryhardtomakealivingasaw
riter."ThisisbecauseAIuses"alltheknowledgeofeverybookwritten".M
rMackaywantsnewbookstohaveamarkthatshowswhetherAIorapers
onwroteit.Themarkcouldbelikethoseonfoodlabels.Mackaythinksthe
publicneedstoknowaboutthelevelofAIinputinabook.Hesaidinformati
oncouldshowifabookis"100percentAI-freeor100percentorganicallyp
roduced".Mackay'sideacomesjustbeforetheUSAandUKrefusedtosig
nanagreementonAItokeepit"clean".TheUSVicePresidentsaidtoomuc
hregulationofAIcould"killatransformativeindustryjustasit'stakingoff
".Hesaid"pro-growthAIpolicies"weremoreimportantthansafety.

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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