Speaking Boost · B1 · Lesson 23 of 50
Speaking Boost B1 · Block 5: Technology and Media

Will AI take your job?

The IMF says about 40% of jobs worldwide are "exposed" to AI. But exposed doesn't mean lost. Make predictions about the future, decide which tasks will stay human, and describe life in 2040 on a radio show.

1

Warm-up

5 min
1.1

AI and you

Answer and give a real example for each one.

  1. Have you ever used an AI tool? What for?
  2. What do you think AI is best at?
  3. Is there anything you would never let AI do for you?
  4. Are you excited or worried about AI? Why?
  5. Which job do you think AI will never be able to do?
  6. How do you think AI will change your job?
2

Words and phrases

10 min
2.1

New words

For each word or phrase, say one true sentence about AI in your life or your opinion.

2.2

Which word?

Choose the word or phrase that fits.

  1. I asked a to help me write a birthday poem.
  2. The bank wants to customer service.
  3. Do you think AI will translators?
  4. Filling in the same forms every day is so .
  5. Scientists made a huge in cancer research using AI.
  6. Don't believe everything a chatbot says. It's not always .
  7. My grandmother doesn't trust AI. She's very .
  8. That video of the famous actor saying crazy things was a .
2.3

Opposites and pairs

Choose the right answer, then press Check answers.

  1. a threat ↔ an
  2. reliable ↔
  3. to make a
  4. to make
  5. creative ↔
  6. to keep up
    new technology
2.4

Useful phrases

Use each phrase to give your predictions about AI.

  • I think AI will probably...Думаю, ШІ, ймовірно...I think AI will probably change how we learn languages.
  • AI might... but it won't...ШІ може..., але не...AI might write reports, but it won't replace good managers.
  • It's likely / unlikely that...Імовірно / малоймовірно, що...It's unlikely that AI will replace nurses soon.
  • In the near future, ...Найближчим часом...In the near future, everyone will have an AI assistant.
  • What worries me is...Що мене турбує, так це...What worries me is deepfakes in politics.
  • What excites me is...Що мене захоплює, так це...What excites me is AI in medicine.
  • I wouldn't trust AI to...Я б не довірив(-ла) ШІ...I wouldn't trust AI to choose my partner.
  • Only humans can...Тільки люди можуть...Only humans can really understand how another person feels.
3

Read and react

8 min
3.1

Will AI take your job?

Read the article. Hover over the dotted words for help.

Which jobs will AI change?

Every big technology in history has changed work. Machines replaced many farm workers, computers replaced typists, and cash machines changed the work of bank clerks. Now many people ask: is it my turn?

In 2024, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimated that about 40% of jobs around the world are "exposed" to AI, and in rich countries the number is around 60%. But "exposed" doesn't mean "lost". The IMF said that in roughly half of these jobs, AI could help people work better and faster. In the other half, it could reduce the need for human workers.

Interestingly, AI is different from earlier technologies. Robots mostly changed physical, manual work. AI affects office jobs: writing, translating, analysing data, answering customers. A plumber or a nurse may be safer than a lawyer's assistant.

Many experts say AI will change tasks rather than whole jobs. A doctor might use AI to read X-rays faster, but the patient will still want to talk to a human. A teacher might use AI to make exercises, but students will still need someone to motivate them.

The best advice seems to be: learn to use AI tools, and develop the skills machines find hardest: creativity, judgement, empathy and working with people. As one popular saying goes, AI probably won't replace you, but a person who uses AI might.

3.2

True or false?

  1. About 40% of jobs worldwide are "exposed" to AI, according to the IMF.
  2. "Exposed" means the jobs will definitely disappear.
  3. Unlike robots, AI mostly affects office jobs.
  4. Experts say AI will replace whole jobs rather than tasks.
  5. The article suggests developing skills like creativity and empathy.
3.3

What do you think?

  1. Which parts of your job could AI do? Which parts could it never do?
  2. Do you agree that a nurse is safer than a lawyer's assistant?
  3. What AI skills do you think everyone should learn?
  4. Would you prefer an AI doctor or a human doctor? Why?
4

Grammar for speaking

10 min
4.1

Grammar for speaking

will / won't + definitely / probably

Predictions you are sure about.

AI will definitely change education. It probably won't replace teachers.

might / may / could

Possible, but not sure.

AI might write most news articles. Robots could do housework.

be (un)likely to + verb

Formal and very common in predictions.

Prices are likely to fall. AI is unlikely to become conscious soon.

Word order: will definitely / probably but definitely / probably won't. It will probably happen. It probably won't happen. Careful: ✗ It might to change. ✗ AI is likely replace...

4.2

Choose the right form

  1. AI
    change the way we work.
  2. Robots
    do our housework in 20 years.
  3. It's
    that AI will replace nurses soon.
  4. AI is likely
    part of every job.
  5. Teachers
    disappear.
  6. Self-driving cars
    be common by 2035.
  7. We
    need new laws about AI.
  8. Prices
    go down because of automation.
4.3

Fix the mistake

Each sentence has one mistake. Type the correct words.

  1. AI might to take my job. →
  2. Robots will probably not to cook. →
  3. AI is likely replace translators. →
  4. It won't definitely happen soon. →
  5. Computers could to think like humans. →
  6. Prices may going down. →
4.4

Talk about it

Answer in detail. Use will, might, could and be likely to.

  1. How will AI probably change your job in the next ten years?
  2. What might your city look like in 2040 thanks to technology?
  3. Which jobs are likely to disappear? Which are unlikely to change?
  4. What could go wrong with AI?
  5. Will children in the future learn languages? Why or why not?
  6. What will you definitely never let AI do for you?
5

Human or AI?

8 min
5.1

Who will do it in 2035?

For each task, predict: will AI do it, will humans do it, or both together? Explain why. Which predictions are you most and least sure about?

Group 1

Everyday tasks

  • Driving a taxi
  • Cooking dinner at home
  • Choosing your clothes
  • Translating a menu
Group 2

Professional tasks

  • Diagnosing an illness
  • Teaching children to read
  • Writing a news article
  • Designing a house
Group 3

Human tasks?

  • Comforting a sad friend
  • Writing a love letter
  • Judging a court case
  • Creating a hit song
5.2

AI and me

Give your opinion and examples.

  1. Would you let AI write a message to someone you love? Why?
  2. Would you trust a car with no driver?
  3. Should students be allowed to use AI for homework?
  4. Would you watch a film made completely by AI?
6

Personal questions

10 min
6.1

Part I: Me

  1. How often do you use AI tools? For what?
  2. Has AI ever made a mistake that surprised you?
  3. What would you like an AI assistant to do for you?
  4. Do you feel worried that AI might change your job?
  5. Have you ever seen a deepfake? Could you tell it was fake?
  6. Which new technology has impressed you most recently?
  7. Are you an early adopter or do you wait?
  8. What skills are you learning to keep up with technology?
6.2

Part II: Other people

  1. How do older people in your family feel about AI?
  2. Should companies tell customers when they're talking to AI?
  3. Will AI make the gap between rich and poor bigger or smaller?
  4. Should children learn about AI at school?
  5. Which professions are most excited about AI?
  6. Should artists be paid if AI learns from their work?
6.3

Part III: Thinking deeper

  1. Can AI ever be truly creative?
  2. Should there be strict laws about AI?
  3. Will AI make us lazier or smarter?
  4. Could AI ever have feelings?
  5. Who is responsible if an AI makes a dangerous mistake?
  6. Is AI the biggest change since the internet?
7

Roleplay

10 min
7.1

The futurist

You

Futurist on a radio show

You are a famous futurist on a radio show. Describe life in 2040:
  • how people will work
  • what homes and cities might look like
  • how AI is likely to change education and health
  • your biggest hope and biggest worry
Speak for at least 3 minutes in total. Use will / won't, might, could and be likely to.
Your teacher

Radio host

Asks short questions, for example:
  1. Will I still have a job?
  2. Will we still need to learn languages?
  3. Could AI become dangerous?
  4. What should listeners do now to prepare?
7.2

The AI manager

You

Company director

Your company wants to start using AI tools. Explain the plan to a worried employee:
  • which tasks AI will take over
  • which tasks will stay human and why
  • what training employees will get
  • why the employee doesn't need to worry (or does!)
You do most of the talking. Use: AI will probably... · It's unlikely that... · You might... · What won't change is...
Your teacher

Worried employee

Says things like:
  1. So you'll replace me with a robot?
  2. I'm too old to learn this.
  3. What if the AI makes a mistake?
  4. Will my salary go down?
8

Debate

7 min
8.1

Agree or disagree?

"AI will bring more good than harm."

Ideas for

AI can cure diseases, save time, help scientists and make education available to everyone. Boring repetitive work will disappear. New jobs will appear, as with every technology.

Ideas against

AI could take millions of jobs, spread fake news and deepfakes, and be used to control people. Big companies may become too powerful. We don't fully understand the risks.

Round 1: give your real opinion for 1–2 minutes. Round 2: defend the opposite side for 1 minute. Use: It's likely that... · AI might..., but... · I'm skeptical about... · In the long run...

9

Homework

at home

Your homework score

Do all four exercises, then press Check all homework. Correct answers will appear next to your mistakes.

– / 30
H1

Complete with a word

chatbotautomatereplacerepetitivebreakthroughreliableskepticaldeepfake
  1. I asked a to explain the grammar rule.
  2. Many companies want to their accounting.
  3. Can a robot a good teacher?
  4. Packing boxes all day is very work.
  5. It was a medical .
  6. His information is not . Check it.
  7. I'm about self-driving cars.
  8. That video isn't real. It's a .
H2

Predictions: choose the correct form

  1. AI change our lives.
  2. Robots clean our homes.
  3. It's that teachers will disappear.
  4. Prices are likely .
  5. Doctors disappear.
  6. Self-driving taxis be common soon.
  7. We need new laws.
  8. AI make some jobs easier.
H3

Correct or incorrect?

Decide if each sentence is grammatically correct.

  1. AI will probably change education.
  2. Robots might to replace drivers.
  3. It's likely to rain tomorrow.
  4. AI is unlikely replace nurses.
  5. It definitely won't happen.
  6. It won't definitely happen.
  7. Machines could do many boring tasks.
H4

Match the two halves

  1. I think AI will probably
  2. AI might write reports,
  3. It's unlikely that
  4. What worries me is
  5. What excites me is
  6. I wouldn't trust AI
  7. Only humans can

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© Yevheniia Kolesnykova, Academy of Languages. All rights reserved. No copying or reuse without written permission.