EnglishClub

Pre-listening vocabulary

• verify: to make sure that something is true
• acronym: a word that is a short form for a phrase
• secondary: not as central or important as something else
• warped: unusually shaped; distorted
• sample: a small part of a larger whole
• digitize: to make digital copies of physical books or pictures
• outperform: to do better than someone else

Listening activity

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:46 — 2.4MB)

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Gapfill exercise

Many websites use CAPTCHAs to verify that their are human. The word CAPTCHA is actually an acronym that stands for Completely Automated Public Turing Test to Tell Computers and Humans Apart. Early CAPTCHAs were lines of warped that were difficult for computers to read. In 2007, the creators of CAPTCHA gave the bot test a secondary purpose. The new technology, called reCAPTCHA, showed users sample images of text and used the to help digitize books. Since then, Google has also used reCAPTCHA to improve its maps. This is why many reCAPTCHAs have users identify and street names. However, not all CAPTCHAs involve identification. The “I am not a robot” checkboxes track mouse movements across the screen. CAPTCHAs change regularly because bots are improving over time. In some , robots have actually outperformed humans at identifying text.

Comprehension questions

See answers below

1. The earliest CAPTCHAs were
   a. pictures of streets
   b. warped text
   c. multiple choice quizzes
   
2. In 2007,
   a. a robot solved a CAPTCHA for the first time
   b. the creators of CAPTCHA began using the technology to digitize books
   c. Google announced that it would use CAPTCHAs to train self-driving cars
   
3. “I am not a robot” checkboxes
   a. are impossible for a robot to see on the screen
   b. use a special font that confuses robots
   c. track mouse movements to catch robots

Discussion/essay questions

1. Some people think that Google collecting CAPTCHA responses is a data privacy concern. What do you think? How careful are you about privacy on the internet?
2. The word CAPTCHA is an example of a “backronym.” Backronyms are acronyms that are intentionally designed to spell out a certain word. Can you think of any other backronyms?
3. In testing, ChatGPT has solved a CAPTCHA by hiring a human to do it. Do you think this is a concern? Why or why not?

Transcript

Many websites use CAPTCHAs to verify that their users are human. The word CAPTCHA is actually an acronym that stands for Completely Automated Public Turing Test to Tell Computers and Humans Apart. Early CAPTCHAs were lines of warped text that were difficult for computers to read. In 2007, the creators of CAPTCHA gave the bot test a secondary purpose. The new technology, called reCAPTCHA, showed users sample images of text and used the responses to help digitize books. Since then, Google has also used reCAPTCHA to improve its maps. This is why many reCAPTCHAs have users identify addresses and street names. However, not all CAPTCHAs involve identification. The “I am not a robot” checkboxes track mouse movements across the screen. CAPTCHAs change regularly because bots are improving over time. In some experiments, robots have actually outperformed humans at identifying text.

Answers to comprehension questions

1b 2b 3c

Pre-listening vocabulary

• compile: to collect multiple documents and put them in one place
• interview: a meeting where a reporter asks someone questions about their life and experiences
• ethical: good; not harmful to anyone
• criticize: to speak negatively about something or someone
• trope: a common storyline in works of fiction
• morality: a set of rules that humans use to define good and evil
• artificial intelligence: a program that is designed to think like a human

Listening activity

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:35 — 2.2MB)

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Gapfill exercise

I, Robot is a collection of fiction stories by American writer and scientist Isaac Asimov. The stories were originally published in science fiction magazines. They were compiled into a book in 1950. The stories are structured as parts of an interview with a robotics named Susan Calvin. Throughout the book, robots follow Asimov’s famous Three Laws of Robotics. These laws are designed to ensure that robots make ethical . At the time, Asimov’s book was for describing robots as humanlike beings. Asimov often criticized a trope he called the “Frankenstein complex,” which was the belief that robots would eventually turn against their creators. Although has changed since I, Robot was published, it is still seen as an important exploration of morality in artificial intelligence.

Comprehension questions

See answers below

1. The stories in I, Robot are structured as
   a. journal entries
   b. parts of an interview
   c. letters
   
2. The Three Laws of Robotics are meant to ensure that
   a. robots think like humans
   b. robots function properly
   c. robots make ethical decisions
   
3. The “Frankenstein complex” is the belief that
   a. robots will never be as smart as humans
   b. robots will eventually turn against their creators
   c. robots are incapable of emotions

Discussion/essay questions

1. In recent years, scientists have made many advancements in artificial intelligence. Do you think robots will ever be able to think like humans? Do you think it will happen in the near future? Why or why not?

Transcript

I, Robot is a collection of science fiction stories by American writer and scientist Isaac Asimov. The stories were originally published in science fiction magazines. They were compiled into a book in 1950. The stories are structured as parts of an interview with a robotics expert named Susan Calvin. Throughout the book, robots follow Asimov’s famous Three Laws of Robotics. These laws are designed to ensure that robots make ethical decisions. At the time, Asimov’s book was unique for describing robots as humanlike beings. Asimov often criticized a trope he called the “Frankenstein complex,” which was the belief that robots would eventually turn against their creators. Although technology has changed since I, Robot was published, it is still seen as an important exploration of morality in artificial intelligence.

Answers to comprehension questions

1b 2c 3b