VERSION A · LYCÉE GÉNÉRAL · Première: B1+ towards B2 · Terminale: B2 (LVA) · documents reaching towards C1
Session 5: Should AI be limited?
Part 5. Should laws limit the development of AI?
Objectives
- Discover AI robots in fiction (androids, Baymax) and the debate on superintelligence
- Debate using expressions of opinion, agreement and disagreement
- Prepare the final speech
Warm-up
Words on the board: singularity, transhumanism, superintelligence, empathy, cyborg. Students guess the meanings and give an example from a film.
Documents
Document 8: Superintelligence. Some researchers fear that AI could one day become more intelligent than humans in every field. This hypothetical moment is called the singularity. Others say this belongs to science fiction for now.
Document 9: The law. In 2024, the European Union adopted the AI Act, the first major law to regulate AI according to the level of risk.
Easy to find on YouTube: "Big Hero 6 official trailer", Walt Disney Animation Studios (Baymax, a personal healthcare companion); "Humans" (Channel 4 / AMC series) official trailer.
Activities
- Intermediary task (interaction): a husband and wife argue after one of them bought an android to help at home.
- Debate in two teams: "Governments should strictly limit AI." Each team prepares three arguments and one example.
- Speech techniques: rhetorical questions, the rule of three, addressing the audience ("Ladies and gentlemen").
Sentence starters
- I strongly believe that...
- I see your point, but...
- On the one hand... on the other hand...
- Let's not forget that...
- That is why I propose a law to...
Role play
Pairs: one partner bought an android called Anita to help at home; the other is worried about empathy, privacy and jobs. Find a compromise.
Gap-fill worksheet
Word bank: android, empathy, singularity, regulate, superintelligence, cyborg, ethics, transhumanism
- An ______ is a robot that looks like a human.
- Baymax shows ______ for Hiro.
- The ______ is the moment AI could overtake humans.
- Governments may ______ AI with laws.
- ______ would be smarter than any human.
- A ______ is part human, part machine.
- AI raises questions of ______: what is right and wrong?
- ______ wants to improve humans with technology.
Answer key
- android
- empathy
- singularity
- regulate
- Superintelligence
- cyborg
- ethics
- Transhumanism
Homework
Write the plan of your final speech: introduction, three arguments, a proposal, a conclusion.
Assessment grid
| Criteria | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Level 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arguments | None | One | Three clear | Three clear with examples |
| Interaction | Rarely reacts | Reacts simply | Reacts and argues | Reacts, argues and rephrases |
| Opinion language | Basic | Some expressions | Varied | Varied and persuasive |
| Pronunciation | Hard to understand | Understandable | Clear | Clear and expressive |