Understanding Artificial Intelligence
Lexile: 1050 | Grade: 9
Passage
Artificial Intelligence, or AI, refers to machines or software that can perform tasks that usually require human intelligence. These tasks include recognizing speech, identifying images, learning patterns, and making decisions. Although AI may sound like science fiction, it is already part of daily life.
AI powers the voice assistants in smartphones, recommends what you watch on streaming platforms, and helps doctors detect diseases through image analysis. In fact, many companies use AI to sort job applications, predict customer behavior, or even drive cars.
At the heart of AI is something called machine learning. This means a program can improve over time by analyzing data and adjusting how it works. For example, if an AI program is given thousands of pictures of cats and dogs, it can learn to tell the difference based on patterns—like fur shape or ear position—without being told exactly what a cat or dog looks like.
AI offers great promise in science, education, and medicine. It can process massive amounts of information faster than any human, making it useful for predicting weather, discovering new drugs, or helping students learn in personalized ways.
However, AI also raises important concerns. What happens if AI systems are biased or make unfair decisions? Can AI replace jobs that people rely on? And who is responsible when an AI makes a mistake—like a self-driving car causing an accident?
Experts argue that as AI becomes more powerful, society must develop clear rules and ethical guidelines. Many believe AI should be designed to support humans, not replace them. Others stress the importance of transparency, so people understand how and why AI systems make certain choices.
Artificial Intelligence is not just a tool of the future—it is shaping the present. Understanding how it works, and how it should be used, is one of the biggest challenges of the modern world.
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Questions
Q1: What is the central idea of the passage?
- A. AI will soon replace all human jobs.
- B. AI is a new technology that solves every problem.
- C. AI is a powerful tool with many uses, but it must be used responsibly.
- D. AI is only used in science and medicine.
Q2: What is machine learning?
- A. A way for robots to walk like humans
- B. A method where AI improves by learning from data and patterns
- C. A machine that builds other machines
- D. A type of factory technology
Q3: What does the word 'transparency' most likely mean in paragraph 6?
- A. The system is invisible to users
- B. People can easily understand how a system works
- C. A computer program that uses glass screens
- D. A way to hide personal data
Q4: According to the passage, how is AI already being used today?
- A. Only in government systems
- B. In games and online chat rooms
- C. In phones, healthcare, and customer services
- D. Only by scientists and researchers
Q5: What concern is raised about AI making decisions?
- A. AI doesn’t work without electricity
- B. AI cannot be used by teenagers
- C. AI might make unfair choices or errors, and it’s unclear who is responsible
- D. AI is never wrong
Q6: What is the author’s tone toward AI?
- A. Fearful and negative
- B. Completely uncritical and excited
- C. Balanced and thoughtful
- D. Uninterested and vague
Q7: Why does the author include the example about cats and dogs?
- A. To show how AI can help at pet stores
- B. To explain how AI programs use data to learn patterns
- C. To prove that animals are better than machines
- D. To describe how scientists study animal behavior
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Answers & Reasoning
Q1: What is the central idea of the passage?
✅ Correct Answer: C
💡 Reasoning: The passage explains the uses and potential of AI, but also emphasizes the need for ethical consideration and control.
Q2: What is machine learning?
✅ Correct Answer: B
💡 Reasoning: The passage explains that machine learning helps AI improve by analyzing large sets of data without direct instruction.
Q3: What does the word 'transparency' most likely mean in paragraph 6?
✅ Correct Answer: B
💡 Reasoning: The context suggests that transparency means explaining how AI systems make decisions so users can understand and trust them.
Q4: According to the passage, how is AI already being used today?
✅ Correct Answer: C
💡 Reasoning: The text describes AI in voice assistants, streaming recommendations, disease detection, and business applications.
Q5: What concern is raised about AI making decisions?
✅ Correct Answer: C
💡 Reasoning: The passage raises concerns about bias, errors, and accountability in AI systems.
Q6: What is the author’s tone toward AI?
✅ Correct Answer: C
💡 Reasoning: The author presents both opportunities and concerns, maintaining a neutral and reasoned tone.
Q7: Why does the author include the example about cats and dogs?
✅ Correct Answer: B
💡 Reasoning: The example helps readers visualize how machine learning works through repeated data exposure and pattern recognition.
Printable Comprehension Practice
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