Why read this: This short text tells students about a real problem in the news. Many young people in America do not trust AI. The reading shows three reasons in three short sections, so students can follow a clear cause and effect.
What to notice: Look at how the article is built in three small parts: schools, companies, and the government. Each part starts with a topic sentence. Notice the numbers in each part. They are small and easy to read, but each one tells you something important.
Skills practised: Students practise finding the main idea of a short news article. They practise reading simple numbers and matching each number to its group (schools, companies, or the government). They also practise telling fact from feeling in a clear news text.
Why many young people in America do not trust AI
Schools, companies, and the government did not help them
Tap any green word in the article to see its meaning.
Many young people in America do not trusttrust: To place confidence in; to rely on, to confide, or have faith, in — 信任；信赖 AI. They watch the AI revolution: the fast change brought by new AI tools — 人工智能革命 change the world around them. About 6 out of 10 young people think AI can help them earnearn: To receive money in return for work that you do. — 赚取；挣得 money one day. So they believe in the technologytechnology: Scientific knowledge used to create machines and devices that help us. — 技术；科技. But they do not trust the people in charge of it. Schools, big companies, and the governmentgovernment: The group of people who run a country. — 政府 did not help them get ready.
The first problem is school. AI is now a key skill at workwork: a job; the activity that someone does regularly to earn money — 工作；职业. Workers needneed: to want strongly; to feel that one must have something — 需要 AI literacy: the ability to understand and use AI tools — AI素养, which means they must know how to use AI toolstool: An object used for doing a particular job or activity, such as a hammer or knife. — 工具；器具. But most colleges did the opposite of helping. About half of college students say their school does not want them to use AI. Some schools even banban: To officially say that something is not allowed. — 禁止；取缔 AI completelycompletely: In every way; totally; with nothing left out. — 完全地；彻底地. So young people leave school without this important skill.
The next problem is jobs. Young people thought they could learn AI at work. But many companies stopped hiring new young workers. A Harvard report looked at 62 million workers. It found that junior hiring: the hiring of new young workers with little experience — 招聘初级员工 fell by about 8 percentpercent: A part or other object per hundred — 百分比 at companies that use AI. The companies did not fire people. They just stopped opening new jobs for young workers.
The last problem is the government. There is no big plan to help workers learn AI. There is no rule that schools must teach AI to children, the way they teach reading or mathmath: Arithmetic calculations; (see do the math) — 算术. Young people are left on their own. They feel that no one is helping them move into this new world of work.
What schools, companies, and the government do next will decide if this problem stays. Many young people still believe in AI. They just want fairfair: Treating people equally and in a right way. — 公平的 help to use it. If nothing changes, their worry today may become a much bigger problem tomorrow.
Many young people in America do not trusttrust: To place confidence in; to rely on, to confide, or have faith, in — 信任；信赖 AI. They watch the AI revolution: the fast change brought by new AI tools — 人工智能革命 change the world around them. About 6 out of 10 young people think AI can help them earnearn: To receive money in return for work that you do. — 赚取；挣得 money one day. So they believe in the technologytechnology: Scientific knowledge used to create machines and devices that help us. — 技术；科技. But they do not trust the people in charge of it. Schools, big companies, and the governmentgovernment: The group of people who run a country. — 政府 did not help them get ready.
The first problem is school. AI is now a key skill at workwork: a job; the activity that someone does regularly to earn money — 工作；职业. Workers needneed: to want strongly; to feel that one must have something — 需要 AI literacy: the ability to understand and use AI tools — AI素养, which means they must know how to use AI toolstool: An object used for doing a particular job or activity, such as a hammer or knife. — 工具；器具. But most colleges did the opposite of helping. About half of college students say their school does not want them to use AI. Some schools even banban: To officially say that something is not allowed. — 禁止；取缔 AI completelycompletely: In every way; totally; with nothing left out. — 完全地；彻底地. So young people leave school without this important skill.
The next problem is jobs. Young people thought they could learn AI at work. But many companies stopped hiring new young workers. A Harvard report looked at 62 million workers. It found that junior hiring: the hiring of new young workers with little experience — 招聘初级员工 fell by about 8 percentpercent: A part or other object per hundred — 百分比 at companies that use AI. The companies did not fire people. They just stopped opening new jobs for young workers.
The last problem is the government. There is no big plan to help workers learn AI. There is no rule that schools must teach AI to children, the way they teach reading or mathmath: Arithmetic calculations; (see do the math) — 算术. Young people are left on their own. They feel that no one is helping them move into this new world of work.
What schools, companies, and the government do next will decide if this problem stays. Many young people still believe in AI. They just want fairfair: Treating people equally and in a right way. — 公平的 help to use it. If nothing changes, their worry today may become a much bigger problem tomorrow.
Questions
Check your understanding
- 01
About how many young people think AI can help them earn money one day?
- 02
What do many colleges do with AI, according to the article?
- 03
What did the Harvard report find about companies that use AI?
- 04
Describe the three groups that the article says did not help young people with AI.
Suggested length: ~50 words
- 05
List three facts from the article that show young people are not getting enough help.
Suggested length: ~50 words
Questions
Check your understanding
- 01
About how many young people think AI can help them earn money one day?
- 02
What do many colleges do with AI, according to the article?
- 03
What did the Harvard report find about companies that use AI?
- 04
Describe the three groups that the article says did not help young people with AI.
Suggested length: ~50 words
- 05
List three facts from the article that show young people are not getting enough help.
Suggested length: ~50 words