The risks and benefits of AI

This lesson plan enables learners to explore some of the issues, risks and benefits of AI and how it can be used to help them develop their language skills. During the lesson students will brainstorm vocabulary they associate with AI, read about and discuss some potential risks and benefits of AI, listen to people talking about the impact of AI on education and try out some ideas for using AI to develop their English skills.

Lesson outcomes

All learners will:

• review and develop vocabulary related to AI 
• become more aware of some of the potential risks and benefits of AI 
• think about how they can use AI to help with their English 
• practise listening and speaking skills discussing issues around AI.

Some learners will:

• try out some ideas for using AI to help develop language skills.

Age and level

Secondary learners aged 13–17 and adults at B2+ level

Time

70–80 minutes

Materials

• AI – the risks and benefits lesson plan
• Student worksheet
• Presentation

Lead–in (20 minutes)

• Show the learners the images on Slide 1 and ask them to work in groups to brainstorm words connected with the pictures. Set a time limit for this and a target number of words you want them to produce. Make this demanding as it will push them to be more productive and less critical.
• Get the learners to share their words with other groups and clarify the meaning of any that are unclear. Ask learners to justify the connection between their words and the images when they discuss them together. Ask learners which image they feel most accurately shows the future of AI.
• Ask them to justify their response.

Read and discuss (20 minutes)

• Show the learners Slide 2/the worksheet and ask them to read the statements and decide which are risks and which are benefits. 
• Get some feedback and clarify their answers. Answers: 1. R, 2. R, 3. B, 4. B, 5. B, 6. B, 7. R, 8. R. 
• Ask the learners if they agree with each of the statements or if they think an alternative scenario is more likely to happen. 
• Give the learners some time to think about this, then put them into groups.  
• Ask the learners to discuss which they think are more likely to be true, the risks or the benefits. 

Listening (15–20 minutes)

• Tell the learners they are going to listen to four people talking about the impact of AI on education. Ask them to listen and decide which one is the most optimistic. 
• Play the audios and give the learners some time to discuss them, then play them again and clarify their answers. Answer: 4 is the most optimistic. 
• Ask learners if they think the audios sound natural to them. Explain that they are AI-generated. Are there any advantages or disadvantages to using AI for listening practice? Play the audio again and ask the learners to decide which they most agree with. 
• Get the learners to justify their opinions. You could also share your own opinion. 

 

Reading and discussion (15–20 minutes)

• Ask learners to think about/discuss in groups how they could use AI to help with their English language learning. 
• Get feedback and put their suggestions on the board. 
• Ask learners to look at the suggestions on slide 3/the worksheet.  
• Ask the learners to read the prompts and decide which of the things they would be most likely to try. 

Follow up – homework 

• Tell learners to look at the AI prompts on the worksheet.
•  Ask them to try one or two of the suggestions and come back to the next lesson and share what they learned and how it helped them. 
• Make sure learners are aware of data privacy issues when using digital tools themselves outside of the class. Make sure you take a look at any tools that you recommend before showing them in class so that you can evaluate if they are suitable for your learners. This follow-up could be done in class using a class/school account.  

By Nik Peachey