Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. protest
    • ex. She wrote a letter to protest against unfair prices in the store.
  2. unlicensed
    • ex. He found that his unlicensed paintings were being sold on a popular website without his permission.
  3. synthetic
    • ex. The app creates synthetic images of animals.
  4. unjust
    • ex. It is unjust to treat some students better than others.
  5. threat
    • ex. The fire in the forest was a threat to the nearby houses.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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Musicians from well-known bands like ABBA, Radiohead, and The Cure have joined actors and authors to protest the unlicensed use of their creative works in artificial intelligence (AI) tools. Last October, thousands of artists signed a letter explaining the dangers of AI tools. These tools create synthetic images, music, and text by learning from large collections of content created by humans.

In the letter, the artists protest against the unlicensed use of their creative works for AI training. They called AI training a big and unjust threat to the jobs of the people who made those works. The artists said AI training must not be allowed to continue. Some famous people who signed the letter include Björn Ulvaeus from ABBA, Robert Smith from The Cure, and Thom Yorke from Radiohead.

Writers like Nobel Prize winner Kazuo Ishiguro and actors Julianne Moore and Kevin Bacon also signed the letter. Best-selling writer James Patterson signed this letter and another one from a group of authors last year. The Authors Guild also has a legal case against AI companies, and the case is still being discussed in a New York court.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

People who Protest

  • Why do you think people protest? Discuss.
  • Do you think protesting is effective? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • In your community, what issue or problem did a lot of people protest about recently? Discuss.

Unlicensed Use of Other People’s Work

  • Imagine that someone used your work without your permission. How would you react? Discuss.
  • Musicians are protesting the unlicensed use of their work in AI tools. In your opinion, what should be the punishment for this? Discuss.
  • How can artists protect their work from unlicensed use? Discuss.