1 Warm up Discuss the following questions. 1. How is artificial intelligence changing the way businesses operate? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 2. What are the potential benefits and drawbacks of using AI in the workplace? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3. How can businesses ensure that the integration of AI is ethical and fair to employees? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 4. Will AI ultimately lead to job losses or will it create new job opportunities? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 2 Listening for gist Listen to the news report about a new trend in Chinese companies and answer the following questions. 1. Why are Chinese businesses investing in virtual influencers and performers? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 2. How has the cost of creating virtual individuals changed in the past year? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3. What is the expected annual growth rate of the virtual human industry through 2025? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3 Listening comprehension Listen to the news report again and decide if the following statements are true (T) or false (F). 1. Tech company, Baidu has seen a significant increase in the number of projects involving virtual influencers and performers in the past year. ____ 2. The cost of creating virtual individuals has increased in the past year. ___ Li Shiyan, head of Baidu’s virtual people and robotics division, expects the virtual human industry to decline in the coming years. ______ 3. 4. At least 36% of consumers in China watched a digital celebrity or influencer perform in the past year. _____ 5. The rise of virtual influencers and performers poses a threat to real people’s jobs in the entertainment industry. _____ 6. It’s important for businesses to ensure the use of virtual talent is transparent and accountable. ____ 4 Pre-reading: vocabulary Part A: Match the vocabulary to the definitions. Part B: Now put the vocabulary from Part A into the correct gaps in the following sentences. 5 Reading for gist You are going to read a text about the virtual human industry (page four). Scan the text quickly and match the headings with the correct paragraph. 1.Threat to Human Workforce 2.Virtual Humans in Chinese Cyberspace 3.Introduction to Virtual Humans in China 4.Negative Impact on Chinese Workers 5.Virtual Human Industry in China Virtual Humans in China Threat to Human Workforce A. Virtual humans, or digitised individuals that can perform and interact on live streams, have become increasingly popular in China’s entertainment industry. The virtual human industry is expected to see tremendous expansion, with applications in various sectors such as broadcasting, entertainment, shopping, banking, and education. According to a report from CNBC, tech company Baidu has seen a doubling of the number of virtual human projects it has worked on for clients in the past year, with prices ranging from £2,200 to £11,400 per year. The cost of creating a three-dimensional virtual human has also fallen by about 80% in the past year and now stands at around £80,000 ($97,175) per year, while a two-dimensional virtual human costs around £15,600. B. After the success of virtual currencies and real estate, companies in China are looking for new ways to generate revenue streams from virtual humans. These virtual individuals, which are a combination of animation, sound technology, and machine learning, have taken Chinese cyberspace by storm. Li Shiyan, head of Baidu’s virtual people and robotics business, predicts that the virtual human industry will grow by 50% annually through 2025. In August, Beijing city announced plans to build an industry worth over £4 billion by 2025, and the country’s fiveyear plan released last year called for greater digitalisation of the economy, including in virtual and augmented reality. C. Video and game streaming app, Bilibili was one of the first to bring virtual humans mainstream, acquiring the team behind virtual singer Luo Tianyi. This year, the developers focused on improving the texture of the virtual singer’s voice using artificial intelligence algorithms. Launched in 2012, Luo Tianyi has almost 3 million fans and even performed at the Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Beijing this year. Bilibili also hosts many virtual anchors or avatars of people using special technology to reach their audience. Tencent’s Next Studios has developed a virtual singer and virtual sign language interpreter, and Tencent Cloud AI Digital Humans provide chatbots for sectors such as financial services and tourism for automated customer support. D. According to global market research, the global digital human market is predicted to reach £405 billion in 2030, with a compound annual growth rate of 46.4%. However, the rise of virtual humans poses a threat to the human workforce. In a National Bureau of Economic Research paper published in December, economists Osea Giuntella of the University of Pittsburgh, Yi Lu of Tsinghua University, and Tianyi Wang of the University of Toronto wrote that "exposure to robots had negative effects on employment, leading some workers to drop out of the labour force and increasing unemployment." Using data from over 15,000 families, the economists evaluated the effects of industrial robots on the Chinese labour market and found that the workforce struggled to "adjust" to the significant changes brought about by robotics. E. The emergence of robots has not always been beneficial to Chinese workers. For example, between 2012 and 2016, Foxconn, the main iPhone manufacturer for Apple, replaced over 400,000 human jobs with robots in an automation push. Sources: Tech Times, Moneycontrol 6 Reading for details Read the article again (page four) and decide if the following statements are true (T) or false (F). 7 Talking point In pairs, discuss the following questions. 1. How can businesses ensure that they have the necessary skills and training to effectively use AI in their operations? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 2. How can businesses address potential concerns about AI replacing human decision-making? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3. How can businesses balance the benefits of AI with the need to maintain a human element in their operations? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 4. How can businesses use AI to improve customer service and satisfaction? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 5. How can businesses ensure that their use of AI is transparent and accountable to stakeholders? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 6. How can businesses use AI to improve efficiency and productivity in their operations? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 8 Homework: Vocabulary extension Part A: Go back to the article on page four and find expressions that match the following definitions. Part B: Complete the dialogue using vocabulary from Part A. Note that not every word will be used.
