The Reading / Listening - A.I. Extinction - Level 5

A report from the US has warned of the existential threat from artificial intelligence. The report painted a worst-case-scenario "extinction-level threat" to humanity. It identified a "growing risk to national security posed by rapidly expanding AI capabilities". The authors said there was a "clear and urgent need" for the government to intervene "quickly and decisively". It continued: "AI has the potential to destabilise global security in ways reminiscent of the introduction of nuclear weapons." It called for the regulation of companies that develop AI tools.

The report was commissioned by the U.S. State Department. It was written by experts who provide technical guidance on AI. The experts spoke at length to AI companies like OpenAI and Google. The experts recommended setting an upper limit on the amount of computing power for an AI model. They also recommended making it illegal to reveal the coding behind AI models. The Futurism.com website stated: "Over half of the AI researchers surveyed say there's a five per cent chance that humans will be driven to extinction, among other 'extremely bad outcomes.'"

Try the same news story at these levels:

    A.I. Extinction - Level 4 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. the existential threat from
  2. a worst-case-scenario
  3. rapidly expanding AI
  4. there was a clear
  5. intervene quickly
  6. AI has the potential to destabilise
  7. the introduction
  8. regulation of companies
  1. global security
  2. capabilities
  3. of nuclear weapons
  4. artificial intelligence
  5. that develop AI tools
  6. extinction-level threat
  7. and decisively
  8. and urgent need

Paragraph 2

  1. It was written by
  2. technical guidance
  3. The experts spoke
  4. setting an upper
  5. the amount of computing
  6. making it illegal to reveal the coding
  7. humans will be driven
  8. extremely bad
  1. to extinction
  2. limit
  3. outcomes
  4. on AI
  5. behind AI models
  6. experts
  7. power
  8. at length

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A report from the US has warned (1) ___________________ threat from artificial intelligence. The report painted a (2) ___________________ "extinction-level threat" to humanity. It identified a "growing risk to national (3) ___________________ rapidly expanding AI capabilities". The authors said there was a "(4) ___________________ need" for the government to intervene "quickly and decisively". It continued: "AI (5) ___________________ to destabilise global security in ways reminiscent of the introduction of nuclear weapons." It called for the (6) ___________________ that develop AI tools.

The report (7) ___________________ the U.S. State Department. It was written by experts who provide (8) ___________________ AI. The experts spoke at length to AI companies like OpenAI and Google. The experts recommended (9) ___________________ limit on the amount of computing power for an AI model. They also recommended making it illegal to (10) ___________________ behind AI models. The Futurism.com website stated: "(11) ___________________ the AI researchers surveyed say there's a five per cent chance that humans will be driven to extinction, among other (12) ___________________.'"

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

AreportfromtheUShaswarnedoftheexistentialthreatfromartificialint
elligence.Thereportpaintedaworst-case-scenario"extinction-levelth
reat"tohumanity.Itidentifieda"growingrisktonationalsecurityposed
byrapidlyexpandingAIcapabilities".Theauthorssaidtherewasa"clear
andurgentneed"forthegovernmenttointervene"quicklyanddecisivel
y".Itcontinued:"AIhasthepotentialtodestabiliseglobalsecurityinway
sreminiscentoftheintroductionofnuclearweapons."Itcalledforthereg
ulationofcompaniesthatdevelopAItools.Thereportwascommissione
dbytheU.S.StateDepartment.Itwaswrittenbyexpertswhoprovidetec
hnicalguidanceonAI.TheexpertsspokeatlengthtoAIcompanieslikeOp
enAIandGoogle.Theexpertsrecommendedsettinganupperlimitonthe
amountofcomputingpowerforanAImodel.Theyalsorecommendedm
akingitillegaltorevealthecodingbehindAImodels.TheFuturism.comw
ebsitestated:"OverhalfoftheAIresearcherssurveyedsaythere'safive
percentchancethathumanswillbedriventoextinction,amongother'ex
tremelybadoutcomes.'"

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.

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

Help Support This Web Site

  • Please consider helping Breaking News English.com

Sean Banville's Book

Thank You