Discussing Artificial Intelligence
2023-09-08
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1Artificial intelligence (AI) has been the subject of many news reports this year. It has also been part of many everyday discussions.
2It will likely continue to be a popular subject of discussion in the coming years, too.
3So, how might one talk about artificial intelligence? What kinds of terms and structures should you use?
4In this week's Everyday Grammar, we will explore a point of connection between grammar and technology.
5You will learn how to ask questions about artificial intelligence.
6You will also learn some ways to express your own opinions about AI.
7Let's start with questions.
8Questions generally come in two forms - yes or no questions and open-ended questions.
9Yes or no questions ask for a yes or a no answer.
10Open-ended questions are seeking more information than a simple yes or no answer.
11Open-ended questions are the secret to good discussions.
12By asking open-ended questions, you can learn much more about the thoughts and opinions of others.
13We often use question words to ask open-ended questions.
14When we discuss artificial intelligence, a few question words will be especially useful. These are what, why, and how.
15Consider these three questions:
16What do you think of artificial intelligence?
17Why are people concerned about artificial intelligence?
18How will artificial intelligence affect our lives?
19Note that there is a general structure to all of these questions.
20They begin with the question word.
21Then, they involve some kind of helping verb: do, be, or will.
22Then we have the subject of the sentence, the main verb, and the rest of the sentence.
23If we reduced these ideas into a kind of math formula, you might say the following:
24Open-ended question = A question word + a helping verb + a subject + a main verb + the rest of the sentence
25We can ask open-ended questions in different tenses.
26For example, we could ask about the past, as in:
27How did you first hear about artificial intelligence?
28In this case, we changed the helping verb do into its past form, did.
29We can also ask about the future, as in:
30How will artificial intelligence change our lives over the next 20 years?
31We have explored questions. But how can we answer such questions?
32One way to think of your answer is in terms of good, bad, and mixed.
33You might use terms such as positive, negative, optimistic or pessimistic.
34Consider this question:
35What do you think of artificial intelligence?
36You might have a positive opinion and say something like this:
37I am optimistic about artificial intelligence.
38You might have a negative opinion and say something like this:
39I am pessimistic about artificial intelligence.
40If your views go both ways, you might say:
41I have mixed opinions about artificial intelligence.
42Of course, after all of these answers, you should be prepared to give more details.
43We often use the word "because" followed by a clause - a subject and predicate group.
44So, you might say
45I am optimistic about artificial intelligence because people will be more productive with it.
46Or
47I am pessimistic about artificial intelligence because I think it will hurt the labor force in a powerful way.
48In today's lesson, we explored a few ways to ask questions and give answers about artificial intelligence.
49Such discussions could take place in an everyday discussion or as part of an English test.
50Let's end today with a homework assignment. Write an answer to the question you heard earlier in the report:
51How will artificial intelligence change our lives over the next 20 years?
52Before writing your answer, be sure to consider what views you have.
53Ask yourself if you see the future in a positive way, a negative way, or in a mixed way. Send us your answers at learningenglish@voanews.com
54I'm John Russell.
1Artificial intelligence (AI) has been the subject of many news reports this year. It has also been part of many everyday discussions. 2It will likely continue to be a popular subject of discussion in the coming years, too. 3So, how might one talk about artificial intelligence? What kinds of terms and structures should you use? 4In this week's Everyday Grammar, we will explore a point of connection between grammar and technology. You will learn how to ask questions about artificial intelligence. You will also learn some ways to express your own opinions about AI. 5Questions - open ended 6Let's start with questions. Questions generally come in two forms - yes or no questions and open-ended questions. 7Yes or no questions ask for a yes or a no answer. 8Open-ended questions are seeking more information than a simple yes or no answer. 9Open-ended questions are the secret to good discussions. By asking open-ended questions, you can learn much more about the thoughts and opinions of others. 10We often use question words to ask open-ended questions. When we discuss artificial intelligence, a few question words will be especially useful. These are what, why, and how. 11Consider these three questions: 12What do you think of artificial intelligence? 13Why are people concerned about artificial intelligence? 14How will artificial intelligence affect our lives? 15Note that there is a general structure to all of these questions. They begin with the question word. Then, they involve some kind of helping verb: do, be, or will. Then we have the subject of the sentence, the main verb, and the rest of the sentence. If we reduced these ideas into a kind of math formula, you might say the following: 16Open-ended question = A question word + a helping verb + a subject + a main verb + the rest of the sentence 17We can ask open-ended questions in different tenses. For example, we could ask about the past, as in: 18How did you first hear about artificial intelligence? 19In this case, we changed the helping verb do into its past form, did. 20We can also ask about the future, as in: 21How will artificial intelligence change our lives over the next 20 years? 22Answers 23We have explored questions. But how can we answer such questions? 24One way to think of your answer is in terms of good, bad, and mixed. You might use terms such as positive, negative, optimistic or pessimistic. 25Consider this question: 26What do you think of artificial intelligence? 27You might have a positive opinion and say something like this: 28I am optimistic about artificial intelligence. 29You might have a negative opinion and say something like this: 30I am pessimistic about artificial intelligence. 31If your views go both ways, you might say: 32I have mixed opinions about artificial intelligence. 33Of course, after all of these answers, you should be prepared to give more details. We often use the word "because" followed by a clause - a subject and predicate group. 34So, you might say 35I am optimistic about artificial intelligence because people will be more productive with it. 36Or 37I am pessimistic about artificial intelligence because I think it will hurt the labor force in a powerful way. 38Closing thoughts 39In today's lesson, we explored a few ways to ask questions and give answers about artificial intelligence. Such discussions could take place in an everyday discussion or as part of an English test. 40Let's end today with a homework assignment. Write an answer to the question you heard earlier in the report: 41How will artificial intelligence change our lives over the next 20 years? 42Before writing your answer, be sure to consider what views you have. Ask yourself if you see the future in a positive way, a negative way, or in a mixed way. Send us your answers at learningenglish@voanews.com 43I'm John Russell. 44John Russell wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 45_______________________________________________________ 46Words in This Story 47formula -n. a fact or rule that is expressed in letters, numbers and symbols 48optimistic - adj. expecting good things to happen 49pessimistic - adj. expecting bad things to happen 50predicate - n. the part of a sentence that expresses what is said about the subject