AI and the Future of Work

Warm-up: Your opening position

2 warm-up questions

• Do you use any AI tools in your work or daily life? How have they changed the way you do things?
• First try, one minute: 'AI will create more jobs than it destroys.' Agree or disagree — argue it now, off the cuff.

Reading: The AI Revolution

Read a 402-word text about The AI Revolution

The AI Revolution Artificial intelligence is no longer science fiction. From ChatGPT writing essays to algorithms making hiring decisions, AI is transforming how we work—and raising profound questions about the future of employment. The Disruption Predictions vary wildly, but most experts agree that AI will significantly impact the job market. Some studies suggest that up to 40% of current jobs could be automated in the coming decades. This includes not just factory work, but white-collar professions like accounting, legal research, and even some medical diagnoses. The Optimistic View Historically, technological revolutions have created more jobs than they've destroyed. The internet eliminated many jobs but created entirely new industries. AI optimists argue we'll see the same pattern: new roles will emerge that we can't yet imagine, and AI will augment human capabilities rather than replace them entirely. The Pessimistic View Skeptics counter that this time is different. Previous technologies automated physical tasks; AI automates cognitive ones. If machines can think, write, and create, what's left for humans? Moreover, even if new jobs emerge, the transition could be devastating for workers whose skills become obsolete overnight. The Policy Challenge Governments face difficult questions: How do we retrain workers for an AI economy? Should we tax automation? Is universal basic income the answer? What regulations should govern AI development? The Human Element Perhaps the most important question is philosophical: What gives work meaning? If AI can do most tasks more efficiently, how do we define human value and purpose? Language for this conversation Three debate moves you will use today. A C1 debater never just asserts — try each move at least once before the lesson ends. Conceding a point — give ground before you take it: "While it's true that…", "I'll grant that…", "There's no denying that…" "While it's true that automation has displaced factory workers before, AI is the first technology to automate cognitive work." Pushing back — attack the argument, never the person: "I'd push back on that…", "That argument doesn't quite hold, because…", "The flaw in that reasoning is…" "I'd push back on the optimistic view — the internet created new industries, but it never made human thinking itself obsolete." Hedging — commit only as far as the evidence allows: "I'm somewhat sceptical of…", "I'd tentatively argue that…", "It seems plausible that…" "I'm somewhat sceptical of any confident prediction here — the disruption may create jobs we simply can't imagine yet."

Vocabulary: Key Vocabulary

6 items

Practice: AI and Employment Language

Gap-fill exercise, 5 items

• AI will ____ human capabilities rather than replace them.
• Many traditional jobs may become ____ as technology advances.
• The ____ of entire industries has created both winners and losers.
• Previous revolutions automated physical tasks, but AI automates ____ ones.
• Complex ____ now make decisions that were once exclusively human.

Practice: Match the Argument to the Position

Matching exercise, 6 items

• New industries will emerge that we can't yet imagine
• This time is different because AI automates thinking
• The internet created more jobs than it destroyed
• Workers' skills could become worthless overnight
• AI will augment rather than replace human work
• If machines can think and create, what's left for humans?

Dialogue: The AI Employment Panel

Role-play: You are participating in a panel discussion on how artificial intelligence will reshape employment. (4 lines)

• Some studies suggest up to 40% of current jobs could be automated in the coming decades. Are we facing an employment crisis? Open with a hedged position — 'I'd tentatively argue…' — and use 'automation' and 'disruption' precisely.
• Optimists point out that technology has always created more jobs than it destroyed. Do you find that argument convincing? Concede the historical pattern before pushing back. Use 'While it's true that…' and the word 'cognitive'.
• Should governments tax companies that replace workers with AI — a so-called 'robot tax'? Take a clear position but hedge its limits, and concede the strongest point on the other side.
• A closing question: if AI can do most tasks more efficiently than we can, what's left for humans? End with a considered personal position on 'augment versus replace'. Use the word 'augment'.

Discussion: Take the floor

6 discussion questions

• How exposed is your own profession? Which parts of your work could become obsolete, and which would AI merely augment? Defend your answer.
• The motion: 'AI will create more jobs than it destroys.' Argue your real position — and this time, concede one point (“While it's true that…”) before you push back.
• Your tutor will now defend the opposite side. Push back on their strongest argument — “I'd push back on that…” — without repeating anything you've already said.
• Would you let an algorithm make a medical, financial or legal decision about your life? Hedge precisely: where exactly does your trust end?
• Is universal basic income the right answer to AI-driven disruption, or a way of giving up on work? Take a side, but grant the other side its best argument first.
• Compare your debating now with your first one-minute take from the warm-up. Which of the three moves — conceding, pushing back, hedging — improved your argument most?