ArtificialIntelligence (from A.I.)
Script:
Professor Hobby: To create an artificial being has been the dream of man since the birth of science. Not merely the beginning of the modern age, when our forebears astonished the world with the first thinking machines: primitive monsters that could play chess. How far we have come. The artificial being is a reality of perfect simulacrum, articulated in limb, articulate in speech, and not lacking in human response.
Sheila: Ah!
Professor Hobby: ...and even pain memory response. How did that make you feel? Angry?
Shocked?
Sheila: I don't understand.
Professor Hobby: What did I do to your feelings?
Sheila: You did it to my hand.
Professor Hobby: Aye. There's the rub. Undress. At Cybertronics of New Jersey, the artificial being has reached its highest form. Universally adopted mecha, the basis for hundreds of models, serving the human race in all the multiplicity of daily life. That's far enough. But we have no reason to congratulate ourselves. We are, rightly, proud of it, but what does it amount to? Sheila, open. A sensory toy, with intelligent behavioral circuits, using neuron- sequencing technology as old as I am. I believe that my work on mapping the impulse pathways in a single neuron can enable us to construct a mecha of a qualitatively different order. I propose that we build a robot who can love.
Task 1Match the word with its definition
These words are chosen from the video. Talk with a partner or consult the dictionary, and match the word with its definition
1. forebear A. to shock, surprise
2. astonish B. related to the physical senses
3. articulate C. ancient, earliest
4. primitive D. able to communicate expressively
5. sensory E. ancestors
Keys:
1.E 2.A 3.D 4.C 5.B
Task 2Complete the following sentences with the words in Task 1. Change the form when necessary.
1. It never ceases to astonish me how quickly Kaya can learn a new language.
2. Primitive humans built tools from stones andbones.
3. My forebears arrived inCanada in the 1890s.
4. Trying to listen to music while watching TV and eating breakfast caused a sort of sensory overload.
5. Despite his young age, Miguel is a very articulate speaker.
Task 3Identify main ideas
Watch the video for the first time. Choose the best answer to the following questions or statements.
1. Where does the scene take place?(D)
A. In a library.
B. In a gymnasium.
C. In a cafeteria.
D. In a classroom.
2. Why does Hobby (the professor) stab Sheila?(B)
A. To prove that robots feel pain.
B. To demonstrate that robots do not have emotions.
C. To embarrass Sheila.
D. To make the class laugh.
3. Hobby wants to build a robot that can .(A)
A. love
B. fight
C. think
D. cry
Task 4Understanding details
Read the following statements. Then watch the video again and mark each statement with T for True or F for False .
| 1. Hobby calls early robots “primitive”. | T | F |
| 2. Hobby stabs Sheila in the arm. | T | F |
| 3. Sheila says that Hobby hurt her feelings. | T | F |
| 4. Hobby asks Sheila to dance in front of the class. | T | F |
| 5. Hobby wishes to create a robot that can feel human emotions. | T | F |
Keys: 1.T 2.F 3.F 4.F 5.T |
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Task 5Workin groups. Based on what you have watched in the video, talk about the following questions in a group.
1. What is one practical use for an AI system that is aware of humane motions?
Suggested answer:
One practical use for an AIsystem that is aware of human emotions is in the auto industry. Self-driving cars are expected to understand the emotional state of their human drivers—for example if they are anxious or worried—in order to keep them safe.
2. What is one possible ethical issue concerning artificial intelligence?
Suggested answer:
One possible ethical issue concerning artificial intelligence is the potential for AI to unfairly discriminate against people of different races. This is because AI systems are created by humans, and many humans can be biased and judgmental, even if they may not realize it.
