Advanced topic · Debate & discussion
Artificial intelligence
It's already in their phones, their feeds and their homework. Will it improve our lives or make us too dependent on it? A future-shaping debate, made approachable for B2–C1.
Warm-up · ask three
- Have you used AI today without even realising it?
- What's one task you'd happily let a robot do for you?
- Does AI excite you or worry you more?
Helpful tool, or crutch?
Let's talk
Discussion & debate questions
Start with the easier B2 questions to build confidence, then push to the C1 stretch. Project the generator, filter by level, and give a student 60 seconds.
Random question generator
Press “New question” to put one on the board.
Deck 1
AI in your life
- What do you know about AI? How would you explain it simply?B2
- Have you ever used a virtual assistant like Siri or Alexa?B2
- What's the most useful thing AI does for you?B2
- Do you use AI for studying or homework? How?B2
- Is AI more helpful or more harmful, in your view?B2
Deck 2
Machines that think
- How do you feel about machines that can "learn"?B2
- What AI from films or TV felt realistic to you?B2
- Would you trust a self-driving car?B2
- Would you want to be taught by an AI teacher?B2
- Could a machine ever be genuinely creative?C1
Deck 3
AI and jobs
- Which jobs do you think AI will replace first?B2
- Which jobs could AI never really do?B2
- Is it fair for AI to make decisions about hiring people?C1
- Should there be limits on what AI is allowed to do?C1
- Who is to blame if an AI makes a serious mistake?C1
Deck 4
Trust & fairness
- Can we trust what AI tells us?B2
- Should we worry that AI learns our human biases?C1
- How much personal data are you handing over to AI?C1
- Could AI ever have feelings or consciousness?C1
- Is it cheating to use AI for creative work?C1
Deck 5
The big picture
- Will AI improve our lives, or make us too dependent on it?C1
- Could AI help solve big problems like disease or climate change?C1
- Should AI development be slowed down for safety?C1
- Who should control the most powerful AI?C1
- What's one rule you'd make for AI if you were in charge?C1
Argue with confidence
Useful language
AI is all trade-offs, so the key skill is weighing an upside against a downside. Pre-teach these to make the topic work for B2 as well as C1.
Debate phrases
For weighing benefits and risks in the same breath.
Weighing pros & cons
Agreeing & disagreeing
Conceding & countering
Hedging a claim (C1)
Words & phrases
Topic vocabulary to sound precise on AI.
a set of rules a computer follows
"The algorithm decides what you see."
how AI improves itself from data
"Machine learning powers the app."
a voice helper like Siri or Alexa
"My virtual assistant set a reminder."
a program you type or talk to
"I asked a chatbot to explain it."
an unfair preference built into a system
"AI can inherit human bias."
to hand a task over to a machine
"I outsource my schedule to an app."
able to be trusted to work correctly
"Is the system actually reliable?"
Judging-the-tech word bank
Words to describe what an AI tool really does.
Model debate
Sofia & Karim on AI
Notice how they keep naming the upside and the downside of the same thing. Then hold the formal debate.
Comparing notes after a long week of essays and applications.
I used an AI to write my cover letter and I got the interview. Genius.
Nice! Although… did you actually write any of it?
I edited it! The upside is it saved me hours.
True, but the downside is everyone's letters start to sound the same.
Fair point. Still, it's a trade-off I'll take when I'm busy.
I'm inclined to agree, honestly. I use it to explain things I don't understand.
Exactly — it's like a tutor that never gets tired.
That's a fair concern, however — do we slowly stop thinking for ourselves?
Hmm. On balance, I think it depends on whether you use it as a tool or a shortcut.
Right. The real question is what happens when we can't tell the difference.
Deep. In theory, schools should be teaching us to use it well.
Agreed. Use it — but don't let it use you.
Now hold the debate
Proposition · for the motion
More good
You argue that AI saves lives in medicine, frees us from boring work, and gives everyone a tutor, a translator and an expert in their pocket.
Opposition · against the motion
More harm
You argue that AI takes jobs, spreads bias, erodes our skills and privacy, and hands too much power to a few companies.
Your mission
- Take your side, even if it's not what you personally believe.
- Prepare two arguments — each one a Point, an Example and an Explanation.
- Predict one argument the other side will make, and prepare your response.
- Debate: one minute each to argue, then one rebuttal each. Use at least three phrases from the language section.
Classroom game
Promise vs Peril
Draw a real AI development. One team argues its promise, the other its peril — both true, both worth hearing. Two minutes to prepare, sixty seconds each to make the case.
The development
Press “Draw a development” to begin.
How to play: Draw a development and assign sides. Prep 2:00 while teams plan, then Speak 60s for each side. Award the point to the more convincing case — then swap sides and run it again.
Wind down & write
Choose your writing task
Turn the debate into writing. These are B2–C1 tasks — encourage a balanced view, real examples, and the trade-off language from the lesson.
01
Write about how AI is used in a product or service you use regularly. How does it help you?
02
Invent your own AI robot. What would it do, and how would it make your life easier?
03
The pros and cons of AI: which do you think are more significant, and why?
04
"AI will improve our lives more than it harms them." How far do you agree?
05
Describe a future where AI is a normal part of everyday life. How is it different from now?
Exit ticket · 60 seconds
Before you leave
Quick round-the-room close: each student finishes the sentence — and has to give a real reason, not just a job.
"Finish this: the one job I'd never want AI to do is… because…"