IB HL Human Ingenuity
IB HL Human Ingenuity
IB HL Human Ingenuity
Historical Perspective
Ex. 1 Discuss the following innovations with a partner. How do you think that these
innovations have changed the course of human history?
Ex. 2 Can you think of other innovations that have had a significant impact on civilization?
Write them in the circles provided below and discuss how they have impacted human
advancement with your partner. Did you think of the same innovations?
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Ex. 3 Consider how human ingenuity is an important factor in multiple areas of our lives.
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Ex. 4
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Ex. 5 Vocabulary: Replace the words and phrases associated with science and research in
italics with the correct form of these synonyms.
Ex. 6 Vocabulary: Complete the sentences about statistics and data with these nouns. Do
you know what the full expression means?
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6. The research didn’t come up with the `right´ result so the company twisted the figures
to suit its own __________________________.
7. As it’s the run-up to the election, the government has a vested
__________________________ in removing people from the unemployment figures.
8. The figures don’t stand up to __________________________ when you look at them closely.
They’re full of holes.
9. It’s too early to say if these two figures are a part of a new upwards trend or whether
they are a statistical __________________________.
AI and Robotics
Ex. 7 These days AI is a buzzword, but how familiar are you with it? Can you match the
terms with their definitions?
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Ex. 8 Watch a video from TedED on Artificial Intelligence and answer the following
questions.
1. According to Stuart Russel, what's one problem with the way we've designed Artificial
Intelligence?
A We give AI too many objectives to compute at once.
B We give AI a single, fixed objective.
C Computer engineers don't understand how everything in the AI system is
connected.
D The AI systems are infused with human bias.
2. Which trait can lead to psychopathic behavior on the part of AI systems, according
to the video?
A Uncertainty
B Complexity
C Certainty
D Objectivity
3. In 1930, what technical term did the economist John Maynard Keynes give for the
idea of machines replacing human workers?
A Human Redundancy Model (HRM)
B Digital Replacement Theory (DRT)
C Mechanistic Superiority
D Technological Unemployment
4. The short story "The Machine Stops," as well as the animated film Wall-e, depicts a
future in which humans have handed over the management of civilization over to
machines. This, according to the video, has what result?
A It makes people infantilized and enfeebled
B We lose the incentive to figure out how the world works
C We lose the incentive to pass knowledge down to future generations.
D All of the above.
5. Most experts say that by ______ humans will have developed general AI
A the end of the century
B the end of this decade
C 2500
D None of the above.
6. What are some obstacles that need to be overcome when building AI systems?
7. What, according to the video, are some potential dangers or problems with artificial
intelligence?
8. What's the difference between giving a human being an objective or task, versus
asking an AI system?
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Ex. 9 Read the following mission statement on The Future of Life Institute’s Open letter to
pause all Giant AI Experiments and answer the following questions.
AI systems with human-competitive intelligence can pose profound risks to society and
humanity, as shown by extensive research[1] and acknowledged by top AI labs.[2] As stated
in the widely-endorsed Asilomar AI Principles, Advanced AI could represent a profound
change in the history of life on Earth, and should be planned for and managed with
commensurate care and resources. Unfortunately, this level of planning and management
is not happening, even though recent months have seen AI labs locked in an out-of-control
race to develop and deploy ever more powerful digital minds that no one – not even their
creators – can understand, predict, or reliably control.
Therefore, we call on all AI labs to immediately pause for at least 6 months the training of AI
systems more powerful than GPT-4. This pause should be public and verifiable, and include
all key actors. If such a pause cannot be enacted quickly, governments should step in and
institute a moratorium.
AI labs and independent experts should use this pause to jointly develop and implement a
set of shared safety protocols for advanced AI design and development that are rigorously
audited and overseen by independent outside experts. These protocols should ensure that
systems adhering to them are safe beyond a reasonable doubt.[4] This does not mean a
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pause on AI development in general, merely a stepping back from the dangerous race to
ever-larger unpredictable black-box models with emergent capabilities.
Humanity can enjoy a flourishing future with AI. Having succeeded in creating powerful AI
systems, we can now enjoy an "AI summer" in which we reap the rewards, engineer these
systems for the clear benefit of all, and give society a chance to adapt. Society has hit
pause on other technologies with potentially catastrophic effects on society.[5] We can do
so here. Let's enjoy a long AI summer, not rush unprepared into a fall. Preserving the future
of life: The Future of Life Institute’s Mission
How certain technologies are developed and used has far-reaching consequences for all
life on earth. This is currently the case for artificial intelligence, biotechnologies and
nuclear technology.
If properly managed, these technologies could transform the world in a way that makes life
substantially better, both for the people alive today and for all the people who have yet to
be born. They could be used to treat and eradicate diseases, strengthen democratic
processes, and mitigate - or even halt - climate change.
If improperly managed, they could do the opposite. They could produce catastrophic
events that bring humanity to its knees, perhaps even pushing us to the brink of extinction.
The Future of Life Institute’s mission is to steer transformative technologies away from
extreme, large-scale risks and towards benefiting life.
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COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
Ex. 11 Watch the video from the Wall Street Journal about how China is beginning to
incorporate AI into its classrooms and answer the following questions.
1. What are some ways that China is implementing technology in the classroom and in
its society?
2. How do the students in the primary school featured in the video start their day?
3. How does the headband system work? Who gets the results?
Discussion: What do you think about the use of this technology in the classroom? Is it more
harmful or beneficial for education? What implications does it have?
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Ex. 12 Read the following text and answer the comprehension questions that follow.
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And I’m sympathetic to teachers who feel that they have enough to worry about, without adding
A.I.-generated homework to the mix.
But after talking with dozens of educators over the past few weeks, I’ve come around to the
view that banning ChatGPT from the classroom is the wrong move. Instead, I believe schools
should thoughtfully embrace ChatGPT as a teaching aid — one that could unlock student creativity,
offer personalized tutoring, and better prepare students to work alongside A.I. systems as adults.
Here’s why.
It won’t work
The first reason not to ban ChatGPT in schools is that, to be blunt, it’s not going to work. Sure, a
school can block the ChatGPT website on school networks and school-owned devices. But students
have phones, laptops and any number of other ways of accessing it outside of class. (Just for kicks,
I asked ChatGPT how a student who was intent on using the app might evade a schoolwide ban. It
came up with five answers, all totally plausible, including using a VPN to disguise the student’s
web traffic.)
Some teachers have high hopes for tools such as GPTZero, a program built by a Princeton
student that claims to be able to detect A.I.-generated writing. But these tools aren’t reliably
accurate, and it’s relatively easy to fool them by changing a few words, or using a different A.I.
program to paraphrase certain passages.
A.I. chatbots could be programmed to watermark their outputs in some way, so teachers
would have an easier time spotting A.I.-generated text. But this, too, is a flimsy defense. Right
now, ChatGPT is the only free, easy-to-use chatbot of its caliber. But there will be others, and
students will soon be able to take their pick, probably including apps with no A.I. fingerprints.
Even if it were technically possible to block ChatGPT, do teachers want to spend their nights
and weekends keeping up with the latest A.I. detection software? Several educators I spoke with
said that while they found the idea of ChatGPT-assisted cheating annoying, policing it sounded
even worse.
“I don’t want to be in an adversarial relationship with my students,” said Gina Parnaby, the
chair of the English department at the Marist School, an independent school for grades seven
through 12 outside Atlanta. “If our mind-set approaching this is that we have to build a better
mousetrap to catch kids cheating, I just think that’s the wrong approach, because the kids are
going to figure something out.”
Instead of starting an endless game of whack-a-mole against an ever-expanding army of A.I.
chatbots, here’s a suggestion: For the rest of the academic year, schools should treat ChatGPT the
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way they treat calculators — allowing it for some assignments, but not others, and assuming that
unless students are being supervised in person with their devices stashed away, they’re probably
using one.
Then, over the summer, teachers can modify their lesson plans — replacing take-home
exams with in-class tests or group discussions, for example — to try to keep cheaters at bay.
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ChatGPT can also help teachers save time preparing for class. Jon Gold, an eighth grade
history teacher at Moses Brown School, a pre-K through 12th grade Quaker school in Providence,
R.I., said that he had experimented with using ChatGPT to generate quizzes. He fed the bot an
article about Ukraine, for example, and asked it to generate 10 multiple-choice questions that
could be used to test students’ understanding of the article. (Of those 10 questions, he said, six
were usable.)
Ultimately, Mr. Gold said, ChatGPT wasn’t a threat to student learning as long as teachers
paired it with substantive, in-class discussions. “Any tool that lets students refine their thinking
before they come to class, and practice their ideas, is only going to make our discussions richer,” he
said.
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This adjustment won’t be easy. Sudden technological shifts rarely are. But who better to guide
students into this strange new world than their teachers?
Comprehension Questions:
A. From statements A to L, select the five that are true according to Text A. Write
the appropriate letters (in any order) in the answer boxes provided. An
example is given.
A. People attending his talk showed interest in only one kind Example: A
of AI.
B. Kevin Rosse thinks that ChatGPT has “killed” traditional
homework.
“they”
2. they found the idea
… (Line 53)
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“one”
3. …out of one. (line
77)
“Their”
4. ….sharpening their.
(lines 107)
C. Answer the following questions. Use the EXACT WORDING FROM THE TEXT.
1. In what way can ChatGPT’s wrong answers be useful?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
2. Mr. Gold feels that ChatGPT is useful to student learning when it is…
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
3. How has the emergence of AI into the classroom made the author feel?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
4. Name ONE reason why the author feels that the arguments against AI in
the classroom are legitimate.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
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Ex. 13 Watch the video from Vox about the future of jobs regarding technology and robotics
and answer the questions that follow.
3. Give some examples of automation anxiety from the 1950s and 60s.
6. In what ways do technologists and futurists differ from economists? Why do they feel
this way?
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Future Humans and Gene Editing
The Benefits: Real World Applications
Ex. 14 Read the Following article and watch a short video explaining CRISPR Cas 9
The system is made up of two key parts: a CRISPR-associated (Cas) nuclease, which
binds and cuts DNA, and a guide RNA sequence (gRNA), which directs the Cas
nuclease to its target. It was discovered in bacterial immune systems, where it cuts
the DNA of invading viruses, called bacteriophage, and disables them. Once the
molecular mechanism for its DNA-cleaving ability was discovered, it was quickly
developed as a tool for editing genomes.
CRISPR was discovered by Dr. Jennifer Doudna (UC Berkeley, seen on right in image
above) and Dr. Emmanuel Charpentier (Max Planck Unit for the Science of
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Pathogens, Berlin, left). Their groundbreaking paper,
revealing that the CRISPR-Cas9 bacterial immune
system could be repurposed as a gene editing tool,
was published in the journal Science in 2012.
Other significant contributors include Feng Zhang at the Broad Institute of MIT
and Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts, who pioneered the use of CRISPR in
eukaryotic cells and discovered novel Cas variants, George Church at Harvard
Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, who was among the first to demonstrate
its use in human cells, and biochemist Virginijus Siksnys at Vilnius University in
Lithuania, who independently discovered the ability of CRISPR to edit genes in other
organisms. For more information on these early pioneers, you can check out our
blog about prominent CRISPR scientists.
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restored fetal hemoglobin, eliminating the need for a functional copy of adult
hemoglobin.
CRISPR can also be used to generate chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells, a form
of immunotherapy used to treat cancer. The T cells are extracted from patients and
engineered to express chimeric antigen receptors before being re-injected into the
body. The receptors allow the T cells to more efficiently target and destroy the
specific type of cancer the patient suffers from.
While we are still in the early years of clinical trials, this technology could be used to
treat thousands of genetic conditions in the future, including breast and ovarian
cancer linked to BRCA mutations, Huntington’s disease, Tay-Sachs,
beta-thalassemia, cystic fibrosis, and early-onset Alzheimer’s. For all the latest
medical developments and clinical trials using this technology to cure a range of
human diseases, you can take a look at the CRISPR Medicine News website.
2. Diagnostics
During the COVID 19 pandemic, CRISPR was used as both a potential therapeutics
tool and as a diagnostic tool for the coronavirus. The SHERLOCK™ CRISPR
SARS-CoV-2 test kit was granted Emergency Use Authorization from the federal
authorities to be used in laboratory settings. You can learn more about SHERLOCK
and the more recently developed STOPCovid diagnostic test here and in this
podcast.
3. Agriculture
Gene editing technology has huge potential in agriculture, and experts suggest
that CRISPR-modified foods will be available within 5-10 years. This is primarily
because it can be used to create crops that are disease-resistant and
drought-resistant. For example, scientists from the University of Berkeley and
Innovative Genomics Institute have partnered with Mars, Inc. to create
disease-resistant cacao plants.
It can also be used to prolong the shelf-life of other perishable foods, reducing
food waste and allowing access to healthy foods at relatively low cost. For more
information on these applications, you can read our overview of CRISPR’s use in
agriculture.
4. Bioenergy
As one of the leading alternatives to fossil fuels, bioenergy has been under the
spotlight for a while now. However, there are several hurdles to producing biofuels at
scale. By using CRISPR, scientists have recently been able to make some significant
advances in this area.
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bacterial species that are used to produce ethanol. For more details, you can
check out this blog on how CRISPR is helping the biofuel industry.
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asComprehension Questions:
A. Match each of the following words from Text A with the word on the right that
is closest in meaning. An example is provided.
Ex. Precise (line 7) _______D_____ A. Cut
1. Cleave (line 13) ____________ B. Replace
2. Harness (line 21) ____________ C. Capture
3. Breakthroughs (line 46) ____________ D. Accurate
4. Poised (line 49) ____________ E. Ready
5. Restore (line 53) ____________ F. Use
6. Promising (line 56) ____________ G. Obstacles
7. Employ (line 78) ____________ H. Advances
8. Hurdles (line 102) ____________ I. Optimistic
9. Tolerance (line 107 ____________ J. Resistance
B The sentences below are either true or false according to Text B. Tick [ ✓ ] the
correct response and then justify it by giving the relevant brief quotation from the
text. The first one has been done as an example. Both the correct response and the
correct quotation are required to gain the mark.
True False
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to produce tastier crops.
Justification:
“Who”
6. who was among the
first … (Line 38)
“this”
7. this is a significant
breakthrough… (line
87)
“This area”
8. ….significant
advances in this
area. (lines 103-104)
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The Concerns: Designer babies
Choosing Your Child:
Should parents be able to choose what their baby is like?
3. Why do you think gender selection is banned in Australia and many other
countries? What could the consequences be if it were not?
4. Why would creating “designer babies” cause problems for families who are
trying to have a baby free of fatal genetic diseases?
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Do you believe a person’s potential is decided at the moment of their birth?
👍👎 👎
👍
Do you agree or disagree with genetic pre-selection in babies? Is it okay in some situations and not others?
Sort the following features which parents could (according to Gattaca) select for their babies into
‘acceptable’ or ‘not acceptable’.
WHY?
Provide justification for your
Choices parents could make regarding opinion:
their unborn children Consider: the needs of the parents
Morally and Morally and and their AND the needs of
ethically ethically society. Is this a good thing for the
acceptable unacceptable world in general?
Depends
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Removing common genetic conditions
like myopia (short sightedness), breast
and ovarian cancer
2. What is our protagonist doing when we first meet him that his boss remarks on?
4. Who does the doctor want to talk to the protagonist about during the urine substance
test?
5. Why do Director Josef, Dr. Lamar, and Irene congratulate the protagonist?
6. What is different about Vincent compared to most other people in this society?
7. Why did Vincent’s father change the name of his son from Anton to Vincent?
11. How do jobs discriminate against applicants with inferior genetics despite it being illegal
to do so?
14. What item from his past does the real Jerome show Vincent when questioning how
Vincent will pull off pretending to be him?
15. What did the real Jerome ask Vincent to call him instead of “Jerome?”
16. List 3 things Eugene prepares in order for Vincent to be able to pass as him in the world.
17. What is 1 of the several names used to describe a person of Vincent’s nature?
19. Where does Irene bring the hair she finds in the comb in Vincent’s desk?
20. What do we learn about Eugene’s accident that left him paralyzed?
21. What did the investigators find in the building that made Vincent a suspect in the
murder of the Mission Director?
22. What is special about the pianist Vincent and Irene see on their date?
23. Why is it considered near impossible that Irene will ever be allowed to go on a mission
into space?
24. What does Irene leave at the restaurant when she and Vincent run from the inspectors?
25. Who actually killed the mission director and what was his motive?
27. What is the significance of the final game of “chicken” between Vincent and Anton?
28. Why did Eugene prepare two-lifetime’s worth of samples for Vincent before he went on
the Titan mission?
29. On the day of the mission departure, why did Dr. Lamar let Vincent go on the mission
despite knowing all along he wasn’t actually Jerome Morrow?
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