[ 嘴 ] test賺p幣
Note: This is not a word for word transcript
Dan
Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm Dan and joining me today is Neil. H
i Neil.
Neil
Hi Dan. What's with the protective gear and helmet?
Dan
I'm just getting ready for the inevitable rise of the machines. That's the tak
eover of the world by artificial intelligence, or AI, which some people predic
t will happen.
Neil
Inevitable means cannot be avoided or stopped. Rise of the machines? What do y
ou mean?
Dan
It's our topic in this 6 Minute English. We'll be talking about that, giving y
ou six related pieces of vocabulary and, of course, our regular quiz question.
Neil
That's the first thing you've said that makes any sense. What's the question?
Dan
The word 'robot' as we use it today was first used in a 1920's Czech play 'Ros
sum's Universal Robots'. But before this, what was its original meaning?
a) forced labour
b) metal man
c) heartless thing
Neil
I will go for a) forced labour
Dan
We'll find out if you were right or not later in the show.
Neil
OK Dan. Tell me what's going on.
Dan
I saw a news article written by BBC technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones
about the recent CES technology show in Las Vegas. He interviewed David Hanso
n, founder of Hanson Robotics, who said it was his ambition to achieve an AI t
hat can beat humans at any intellectual task.
Neil
Surely it's a good thing! Better AI and robotics could take over many of the j
obs that we don't want to do, or that are so important to get 100% right... li
ke air traffic control. We'd never have another plane crash. It would be infal
lible because it would be so clever.
Dan
Infallible means never failing. And that's what bothers me. What happens when
its intelligence surpasses ours? Why should it do what we want it to do?
Neil
To surpass something is to do or be better than it. Dan, you've been watching
too many movies. Robots fighting humanity is a popular theme. Guess what... hu
manity often wins. And besides, we would programme the computer to be benevole
nt.
Dan
Benevolent means kind and helpful. But that's just it, once the intelligence b
ecomes sentient, or able to think for itself, who knows what it will do. We hu
mans are not exactly perfect, you know. What happens if it decides that it is
better than us and wants us out of the way?
Neil
Don't worry. Asimov thought of that. Isaac Asimov was an American science fict
ion writer who, among other things, wrote about robots. He came up with three
laws that every robot would have to follow to stop it from acting against huma
nity. So we're safe!
Dan
I'm not so sure. A sentient robot could make up its own mind about how to inte
rpret the laws. For example, imagine if we created an AI system to protect all
of humanity.
Neil
Well, that's great! No more war. No more murder. No more fighting.
Dan
Do you really think that humans can stop fighting? What if the AI decides that
the only way to stop us from hurting ourselves and each other is to control e
verything we do, so it takes over to protect us. Then we would lose our freedo
m to a thing that we created that is infallible and more intelligent than we a
re! That's the end, Neil!
Neil
I think that's a little far-fetched, which means difficult to believe. I'm sur
e others don't think that way.
Dan
OK. Let's hear what the Learning English team say when I ask them if they are
worried that AI and robots could take over the world.
Insert
Phil
Well, it's possible, but unlikely. There will come a point where our technolog
y will be limited - probably before real AI is achieved.
Sam
Never in a million years. First of all we'd programme them so that they couldn
't, and secondly we'd beat them anyway. Haven't you ever seen a movie?
Kee
I totally think it could happen. We only have to make a robot that's smart eno
ugh to start thinking for itself. After that, who knows what it might do.
Neil
A mixed bag of opinions there, Dan. It seems you aren't alone.
Dan
Nope. But I don't exactly have an army of support either. I guess we'll just h
ave to wait and see.
Neil
Speak for yourself. I've waited long enough - for our quiz question that is.
Dan
Oh yeah! I asked you what the original meaning of the word 'robot' was before
it was used in its modern form.
a) forced labour
b) metal man
c) heartless thing
Neil
And I said a) forced labour
Dan
And you were... right!
Neil
Shall we take a look at the vocabulary then?
Dan
OK. First we had inevitable. If something is inevitable then it cannot be avoi
ded or stopped. Can you think of something inevitable, Neil?
Neil
It is inevitable that one day the Sun will stop burning. Then we had infallibl
e, which means never failing. Give us an example, Dan.
Dan
The vaccine for small pox is infallible. The natural spread of that disease ha
s been completely stopped. After that was surpasses. If something surpasses so
mething else then it becomes better than it.
Neil
Many parents across the world hope that their children will surpass them in we
alth, status or achievement. After that we heard benevolent, which means kind
and helpful. Name a person famous for being benevolent, Dan.
Dan
Father Christmas is a benevolent character. After that we heard sentient. If s
omething is sentient, it is able to think for itself.
Neil
Indeed. Many people wonder about the possibility of sentient life on other pla
nets. Finally we heard far-fetched, which means difficult to believe. Like tha
t far-fetched story you told me the other day about being late because of a dr
agon, Dan.
Dan
I swear it was real! It had big sharp teeth and everything!
Neil
Yeah, yeah, yeah. And that's the end of this 6 Minute English. Don't forget to
check out our Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pages. See you next time!
Dan
Bye!
Neil
Bye.
--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc), 來自: 223.140.192.40
※ 文章網址: https://www.ptt.cc/bbs/LED_MOUTH/M.1516967133.A.7D1.html
推
01/31 20:10,
6年前
, 1F
01/31 20:10, 1F
→
02/07 14:14,
6年前
, 2F
02/07 14:14, 2F