Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. a decade
    • ex. Our family has been living in this house for over a decade.
  2. redesign
    • ex. I redesigned my room to make it look more colorful.
  3. launch
    • ex. Press the start button to launch the application on your computer.
  4. ethical
    • ex. Some makeup companies stopped testing their products on rabbits because it is not ethical.
  5. competitive
    • ex. The tech market is highly competitive. Many companies work hard to get their customers' attention.

Article

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

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Microsoft revealed its first big change to its computer keyboards in decades. The company decided to redesign computer keyboards to add an AI chatbot button. Starting in January, some new personal computers (PCs) using Microsoft Windows 11 would have a special “Copilot key.” This key will launch Copilot, Microsoft’s AI chatbot. The newest AI button is marked with the ribbon-like Copilot logo.

The new design is the company’s biggest change to PC keyboards since it introduced the “Windows key” in the 1990s. Microsoft is not the only company with special keys. However, Microsoft has a significant influence in the market because of its business agreements with PC makers, such as Lenovo, Dell, and HP. About 82% of all PCs and laptops use Windows and only 9% use iOS.

Microsoft is working with OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, to add an AI button to PCs made by other companies like Dell. This makes AI applications even more accessible to Microsoft users. Despite ethical and legal concerns about AI nowadays, Microsoft’s action shows that 2024 will be a competitive year in the AI industry.

This material was based on an article by The Associated Press.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

PC Keyboards

  • What does your PC keyboard look like (ex. has English letters, has lights)? Discuss.
  • Windows introduces its new key that launches Copilot, Microsoft’s AI chatbot. Do you think this new design will be useful for you? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Imagine you could add a special key on your keyboard. What would it be? Discuss.

New Changes in Technology

  • Do you feel excited when there are new technologies, like phones, personal computers, and applications? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • How has technology changed since you were a child (ex. faster internet connection, smarter AI technology)? Discuss.
  • Microsoft is redesigning keyboards to add an AI chatbot button. In your opinion, how important are AI chatbots? Discuss.