Are the machines taking over?

You are going to discuss our relationship with technology.

1)
I,Discuss
How many machines, devices and gadgets do you use every day?
What is artificial intelligence?
What is automation?
How many automated processes or tasks can you think of?
When can you hear an automated voice?
Do you prefer to pay at a self-service check-outs or a normal one when you go shopping?
Do you think automation is a good thing?
Do you think machines will replace human workers?
Are machines getting smarter?
What relationship will humans have with machines and technology in the future?
Will we be living and working with robots in the future?

II.Listen to this clip from BBC Radio 4's "Today" on "The rise of automated
machines." and answer
A) Take notes.What do you learn about the following?
The number of self-service check-outs in Britain
The earliest automated machine
The importance of automation to business
Intelligent machines
The rise of automated machines
1. The first shopper thought the automatic check-out machines were _______.
a) a good idea
b) a pain in the backside
c) faster
d) awful

2. The second shopper had to use the machines.

a) True
b) False

3. There are now _____ self service check-outs in Britain.

4. The supermarkets claim ____ .

a) the machines replace staff and are cheaper.
b) the machines replace staff and help customers
c) the machines do not replace staff but liberate them to help customers.
d) the machines do not replace staff but make their job easier.

5. When was the first automated machine?

6. What was it?

a) An automatic soap dispenser
b) An automatic soup dispenser
c) An automatic sugar dispenser
d) An automatic salt dispenser

7. In the 1970s it was predicted that there would be full language understanding by
machines by the 1990s and that everything would be automated by 2000.
a) True
b) False

8. Noel Sharkey claims automation has put people out of work.

a) True b) False

9. Why does Russell Galpin say automated voices are so important for business?
a) It advertises the company
b) It's easier to use
c) It makes money
d) It represents the company

10. Mark Burcher - "If the service has been designed correctly it makes the process of
_____ ___ _______ more efficient".
11. In the future machines will know if you are happy.
a) True b) False
12. The presenter thinks that in the future machines will understand humans better than
humans do.
a) True b) False
3) Discuss
How will we be living in the future?
Practise the Future Continuous
Look at the presentation and discuss the pictures.

4) Discuss

How do you see the future? Are you an optimist or a pessimist?

Do you think the widespread use of technology has risks for humanity?
Should we be careful about how technology is affecting our lives?
Do you agree that in the future "The machines replacing humans might end up being better at being
human that we are"?
Do you think machines will replace humanity or radically transform us?

5) Write
Choose one
We live in an age of technological revolution. How is technology affecting our lives today and
should we be fearful of the effects it will have on life in the future?
We are becoming increasingly dependent on computers. They are used in businesses, hospitals,
crime detection and even to fly planes. What things will they be used for in future? Is this
dependence on computers a good thing or should we be more suspicious of their benefits? Use
specific details and examples in your answer (IELTS).

Could you live without it? Mobile phones, Living without electricity, Advantages and
disadvantages, IELTS, Intermediate, Linking words, Listening, Reading, Smartphones, Writing an
argument, Contrasting, Technology