British English · B2 · Unit 14
Technology and the future
Technology and the future
By the end you can
- Speculate about how technology will change things
- Discuss what machines should and shouldn't do
- Understand an article about technology
Words and phrases
| British English | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| artificial intelligence | computers that can learn and make decisions (AI) | Artificial intelligence will change most office jobs. |
| replace | take the place of | Will robots replace teachers? |
| it's likely to | it will probably | It's likely to get cheaper in a few years. |
| it's bound to | it's sure to | It's bound to change the way we work. |
| I doubt it | I don't think so | Will AI do my job? I doubt it. |
| in the near future | soon, in the next few years | In the near future, cars may drive themselves. |
| there's a chance that | maybe, it's possible that | There's a chance that some jobs will disappear. |
| automate | make a machine do a job instead of a person | They want to automate the whole warehouse. |
| privacy | the right to keep your life private | I worry about our privacy. |
| data | information stored on computers | Who owns all this data? |
| it's only a matter of time | it will certainly happen soon | It's only a matter of time before AI writes the news. |
| a smart speaker | a speaker you control with your voice | We've got a smart speaker in the kitchen. |
Then talk it through
Colleagues discuss whether AI will change their jobs. In the app you have this conversation out loud or typed, with the unit's goals to tick off and corrections at the end.