Artificial Intelligence — IELTS Reading Answers

What is the writer doing in the first paragraph?

1. Apredicting the future impact of AI
2. Bdescribing a public perception of AIcorrect
3. Coutlining some possible benefits of AI
4. Dhighlighting the breadth of the influence of AI

“In many countries in the West, hysteria about the future of artificial intelligence (AI) is everywhere. There seems to be no shortage of sensationalist news about how AI could cure diseases, accelerate human innovation and improve human creativity.”

The first paragraph describes sensationalist headlines and public hysteria: a public perception of AI.

When discussing AI solutionism in the second paragraph, the writer

1. Apoints out a risk involved.correct
2. Bspecifies its probable origins.
3. Cmentions its chief supporters.
4. Dweighs up some pros and cons.

“But, in fact, instead of supporting AI progress, this mindset actually jeopardises the value of machine intelligence by disregarding important AI safety principles and setting unrealistic expectations about what AI can really do for humanity”

The writer says this mindset 'jeopardises the value of machine intelligence', so he is criticising AI solutionism.

In the fourth paragraph, the writer suggests that many politicians may

1. Ahave failed to appreciate the true potential of AI initiatives.
2. Bhave misunderstood the function of the machine-learning sector.
3. Cbe unaware of the challenges of implementing national AI initiatives.correct
4. Dbe too keen to enter the race to dominate the machine-learning sector.

“While many politicians proclaim the transformative effects of the coming 'AI revolution', they fail to realise the complexity around deploying advanced machine learning systems in the real world”

Politicians 'fail to realise the complexity around deploying advanced machine learning systems in the real world'.

“Similarly, adding a neural network to a system of government does not mean it will be instantaneously more inclusive or fair”

Adding a neural network does not make a government system 'instantaneously more inclusive or fair'.

“AI systems need a lot of data to function, but the public sector typically does not have the appropriate data infrastructure to support advanced machine learning”

The public sector 'does not have the appropriate data infrastructure' for advanced machine learning.

“More often than not, data is spread across different government departments that each require special permissions to be accessed”

Data is spread across departments 'that each require special permissions to be accessed'.

“Above all, the public sector typically lacks the human talent with the right technological capabilities to fully reap the benefits of machine intelligence”

Above all, the public sector 'lacks the human talent with the right technological capabilities'.

“The IBM Watson for Oncology programme was a piece of AI that was meant to help doctors treat cancer. Even though it was developed to deliver the best recommendations, human experts found it hard to trust the machine.”

IBM Watson for Oncology was meant to help doctors, but human experts found it hard to trust and it was abandoned.

“The system was found to amplify structural racial discrimination and was later abandoned”

Another system was found to 'amplify structural racial discrimination' and was later abandoned.

Stuart Russell's proposals regarding the use of AI are impractical.

“Stuart Russell, a professor of computer science at the University of California, Berkeley, has long advocated a more sensible and realistic approach that focuses on simple everyday applications of AI instead of the hypothetical takeover by super-intelligent robots”

NO: Russell advocates a 'sensible and realistic approach', so his proposals are not described as impractical.

Rodney Brooks' view has attracted unfair criticism from supporters of AI.

“Similarly, Rodney Brooks, professor of robotics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, writes that 'almost all innovations in robotics and AI take far, far, longer to be really widely deployed than people in the field and outside the field imagine'”

NOT GIVEN: Brooks says innovations take longer than expected; the passage never mentions unfair criticism.

Nowadays, the need to protect AI systems is always taken into account when they are set up.

“Still, AI security remains an often overlooked topic when machine learning systems are installed”

NO: 'AI security remains an often overlooked topic', so it is not always taken into account.

In order to benefit from AI and minimise the harms, we have to explore people's concerns about its use.

“If we are to reap the benefits and minimise the potential harms of AI, we must start thinking about how machine learning can be meaningfully applied to specific areas of government, business and society.”

YES: the writer says we must discuss 'AI ethics and the distrust that many people have'.

What would be a suitable subtitle for Reading Passage 3?

1. AHow to make the most of what AI has to offer
2. BWhy AI may not be the answer to our problemscorrect
3. CWhy governments should not invest in AI systems
4. DHow AI could improve the efficiency of the public sector

“These examples demonstrate that there is no AI solution for everything. Using AI simply for the sake of AI may not always be productive or useful, and not every issue is best addressed by applying machine intelligence to it”

The passage argues there is 'no AI solution for everything', so the best subtitle is about the limits of AI.