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Innovation in Learning

TM

GENERAL ISSUES

Artificial intelligence
Lesson code: F4MB-EP3B-8ANE-P INTERMEDIATE

1 Warm-up
How advanced do you think technology will be in 2030? Give a few examples of how you think mobile phones, computers, the Internet, etc. will be used in the future.

2 Science and technology

Complete the sentences below with the following words, using a dictionary to help you if necessary:
advanced molecule artificial intelligence replicates chip retrieves miniaturisation speech recognition

1. If technology is 2. If a machine or virus

, it is highly developed. , it makes an exact copy of itself. .

3. The process of making things very small using modern technology is called

4. A is a very small electrical component or circuit, made of a semi-conducting material such as silicon. 5. A is the smallest unit of a chemical substance, composed of two or more atoms. 6. The ability of a machine to perform actions that require human intelligence is called 7. The ability of a machine to identify spoken words and phrases is called 8. If a computer . information, it finds the data in its memory and makes it available. .

3 Predict the answers

Read the following statements and decide if they are true or false. Then read the article on the next page and compare your answers with the experts' predictions: 1. Computing power could reach the level of human intelligence before 2030. 2. There will be less technical progress in the 21st century than in the 20th century. 3. In the near future, machines will be able to replicate among themselves. 4. Future chips will be based on biological molecules instead of silicon. 5. Machines will only be able to store and retrieve information better than humans. They will never reach other levels of human intelligence. 6. People will soon be living together with intelligent machines.
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Artificial intelligence
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lingua house
Innovation in Learning

TM

GENERAL ISSUES

Computers `to match human brains'

Computing has come a long way since the first time a computer beat world chess champion Garry Kasparov in 1996.
1 Computer power will match the intelligence of human beings within the next 20 years, according to a leading scientific "futurologist". 2 There will be 32 times more technical progress during the next half century than there was in the whole of the 20th century. As a result, artificial intelligence could be as advanced as human intelligence by the 2020s, said the American computer guru Ray Kurzweil. 3 Machines will become smarter than humans and will soon be able to solve some of the most difficult problems of the 21st century, said Dr Kurzweil, one of the most radical thinkers in the field of technological prediction. 4 Dr Kurzweil was originally a pioneer in various fields of computing and automatic speech recognition by machine. In his speech to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), he described a future where machines will be far more intelligent than humans as they learn how to communicate, teach and replicate among themselves. 5 His prediction is based on the fact that the computer chip has doubled in power every two years for the past half century, which has led to accelerating progress and miniaturisation. 7 Computers have so far been based on two-dimensional chips made from silicon, but three-dimensional chips with greatly improved performances are being developed. There are even plans to construct them out of biological molecules that can be miniaturised even more than metal-based computer chips. 8 "The hardware for machines with human-level intelligence will be based on three-dimensional, molecular computing. The software will be developed by studying and analysing the human brain in detail. Already, 24 regions of the human brain have been modelled and simulated," he said. 9 Although the brain is not as efficient as a computer at storing and retrieving information, it can associate different pieces of information, look ahead and plan. It can also be imaginative and creative, which is at the heart of human existence. But Dr Kurzweil is one of several computer scientists who believe that computers will soon create a "post-human" world where a second, intelligent being exists next to people.

10 "When non-biological intelligence matches the level of human intelligence, it will very quickly overtake it because of continuing technological 6 Dr Kurzweil told the annual meeting of the AAAS in progress, as well as the ability of machines to Boston: "in the next half century, there will be 32 instantly share their knowledge," Dr Kurzweil said. times more technical progress than the last half century. Computing, communication, biological technologies and human knowledge in general are Adapted from The Independent, 16 February all accelerating fast." 2008, by Steve Connor

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Artificial intelligence
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lingua house
Innovation in Learning

TM

GENERAL ISSUES

4 Find the words

Find a word or phrase in the text which means 1. made a lot of progress (phrase, SUBTITLE) 2. happening or developing faster and faster (verb -ing, P5) 3. build something from different parts (verb, P7) 4. to think about the future (phrasal verb, P9) 5. something that exists (noun, P9) 6. go past something after reaching the same level as it (verb, P10)

5 Grammar - Comparing and contrasting

Look at the following sentences from the text. Study how the comparative forms of adjectives and the structure `(not) as ...as' are used to compare two things. Machines will become smarter than humans. Artificial intelligence could be as advanced as human intelligence. Machines will be far more intelligent than humans. The brain is not as efficient as a computer at storing and retrieving information.

Put the following adjectives into the correct category below and write the comparative forms.
bad dark green clear deep healthy funny difficult hot polite exciting lazy thin expensive noisy boring far pretty cheap fit rude comfortable good sad

+ -er

clear - clearer

double letter + -er thin - thinner change -y to -ier more + adjective funny - funnier polite - more polite

irregular

bad - worse

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Artificial intelligence
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lingua house
Innovation in Learning

TM

GENERAL ISSUES

6 Practice
Complete the sentences below using the adjectives in brackets in their correct comparative form (-er ... than, more ... than, as ... as, not as ... as): 1. Many English learners find phoning much 2. Old-fashioned light bulbs are 3. Southern Europe is much (easy) writing a letter. (economical) modern light bulbs. (warm) northern Europe, but it is (hot) Africa. (short) the Nile. However, (long) the Amazon.

4. The Amazon River is generally considered to be slightly some Brazilian studies have suggested that the Nile is 5. James is (old) Michael. They are twin brothers. 6. Travelling by plane is much (pleasurable). 7. Modern laptops are much (portable) smart phones.

(quick) by ship, but I find travelling by ship far (small) old desktop computers, but they are (interesting) the film, but I found the film

8. Many people considered the book to be a lot (entertaining) the book. a bit

Now compare the animals in the picture using the adjectives below. Use both the comparative forms and the structure `(not) as ... as'.
colourful dangerous fast heavy intelligent tall

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Artificial intelligence
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lingua house
Innovation in Learning

TM

GENERAL ISSUES

7 Talking point
Do you think computers will become as intelligent as humans by 2030? What will be the advantages and disadvantages of living with intelligent machines?

8 Flashcard review
Don't forget the words from today's lesson! Go to www.linguahouse.com/ex and enter Lesson code: F4MB-EP3B-8ANE-P Use Expemo often if you want to remember all the new words from your lessons.

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Artificial intelligence - Key

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lingua house
Innovation in Learning

TM

GENERAL ISSUES

2- Science and technology

1. advanced 5. molecule
3- Predict the answers

2. replicates 3. miniaturisation 6. artificial intelligence 7. speech recognition

4. chip 8. retrieves

Answers according to the text:

1. True
4- Find the words

2. False

3. True

4. True

5. False

6. True

1. come a long way 4. being

2. accelerating 5. look ahead

3. construct 6. overtake

5- Grammar - Comparing and contrasting If necessary, remind students of the rules for forming comparatives: add -er to one-syllable adjectives, e.g. clear-clearer. When the adjective ends in a consonant following a single vowel, double the consonant, e.g. thin-thinner. Change -y ending in two-syllable adjectives to -ier, e.g. funny - funnier. Multisyllable adjectives are usually preceded by more, e.g. polite - more polite. With a more advanced class, you could skip this task and move on to Exercise 6.

-er: cheap - cheaper, dark - darker, deep - deeper, green - greener, rude - ruder double letter + -er: fit - fitter, hot - hotter, sad - sadder change -y to -ier: healty - healthier, lazy - lazier, noisy - noisier, pretty - prettier more + adjective: boring - more boring, comfortable - more comfortable, difficult - more difficult, exciting - more exciting, expensive - more expensive irregular: far - further, good - better
6- Practice

easier than not as economical as warmer than; not as hot as shorter than; not as long as as old as quicker than; more pleasurable smaller than; not as portable as more interesting than; more entertaining than
Pre-teach any names of animals that the students may not be familiar with, e.g. rhinoceros, ostrich. Encourage the students to use qualifying phrases, e.g. a little/slightly/much/a lot/far more ... than and with a more advanced class just/nearly/not quite/not nearly as ... as. Possible answers:

1. 2. 3. 4.

The lion is as dangerous as the rhinoceros. The parrot is not as dangerous as the lion./The lion is a lot more dangerous than the parrot. The snake is not as tall as the giraffe./The giraffe is much taller than the parrot. The lion is not as colourful as the parrot./The parrot is more colourful than the lion.

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