The Reading / Listening - Weapons - Level 1

The USA will spend $2 billion on artificial intelligence (AI) weapons. This is the most it has ever spent. The Department of Defense wants the most advanced weapons in the world. It wants better weapons than China and Russia. Defense bosses want weapons generals can trust. These weapons must not make mistakes. An official said: "We think it's a good time to seed the field of AI. We think we can accelerate two decades of progress into five years."

The new weapons could make their own decisions, without any humans helping. This could be dangerous and could lead to innocent people being killed. These weapons can choose and attack targets and kill people. They can already use AI to choose targets on their own. Military generals do not want to let the weapons decide on which targets to attack. The generals want to do this.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Weapons - Level 0 Weapons - Level 2   or  Weapons - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/8/17833160/pentagon-darpa-artificial-intelligence-ai-investment
  • https://money.cnn.com/2018/09/07/technology/darpa-artificial-intelligence/index.html
  • https://interestingengineering.com/us-department-of-defense-to-invest-2-billion-in-ai-research


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. This is the most
  2. the most advanced weapons
  3. It wants
  4. weapons generals can
  5. These weapons must not make
  6. We think it's a good
  7. We think we can
  8. two
  1. accelerate
  2. better weapons
  3. decades
  4. in the world
  5. time
  6. trust
  7. mistakes
  8. it has ever spent

Paragraph 2

  1. without any humans
  2. This could be
  3. lead to innocent people
  4. attack targets and
  5. use AI to choose
  6. military
  7. decide on which
  8. The generals want
  1. generals
  2. targets to attack
  3. dangerous
  4. to do this
  5. being killed
  6. kill people
  7. targets on their own
  8. helping

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The USA will spend $2 (1) ___________________ intelligence (AI) weapons. This is the most it (2) ___________________. The Department of Defense wants the most advanced weapons in the world. It wants (3) ___________________ China and Russia. Defense bosses want weapons generals can trust. These weapons must (4) ___________________. An official said: "We think it's a good time to (5) ___________________ of AI. We think we can accelerate two decades of progress (6) ___________________."

The new weapons could (7) ___________________ decisions, without any humans helping. This (8) ___________________ and could lead to innocent people being killed. These weapons (9) ___________________ attack targets and kill people. They can already use AI to choose targets (10) ___________________. Military generals do not (11) ___________________ the weapons decide on which targets to attack. The generals (12) ___________________ this.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

TheUSAwillspend$2billiononartificialintelligence(AI)weapons.Thisis
themostithaseverspent.TheDepartmentofDefensewantsthemostad
vancedweaponsintheworld.ItwantsbetterweaponsthanChinaandRu
ssia.Defensebosseswantweaponsgeneralscantrust.Theseweapons
mustnotmakemistakes.Anofficialsaid:"Wethinkit'sagoodtimetosee
dthefieldofAI.Wethinkwecanacceleratetwodecadesofprogressintofi
veyears."Thenewweaponscouldmaketheirowndecisions,withoutany
humanshelping.Thiscouldbedangerousandcouldleadtoinnocentpeo
plebeingkilled.Theseweaponscanchooseandattacktargetsandkillpe
ople.TheycanalreadyuseAItochoosetargetsontheirown.Militarygene
ralsdonotwanttolettheweaponsdecideonwhichtargetstoattack.Theg
eneralswanttodothis.

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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