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GENERAL ENGLISH · BREAKING NEWS · UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)

AI IMAGE
WINS ART
CONTEST
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1 Warm up

You are going to listen to a report about an AI image which won a prize in an art competition. First,
read the questions and discuss them in pairs or small groups.

1. Do you enjoy drawing, painting or creating digital artworks?

2. Do you have a favourite artist? Have you ever visited an art gallery?
3. Have you ever used image generation software before? Is it something you would be interested
in trying?
4. Do you know anybody who works in the creative industries? How many jobs can you think of that
involve drawing, painting or digital art?
5. Look at the images below. Which ones do you think were made by humans, and which ones were
made by AI?

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2 Vocabulary focus
Part A: Match the words with the correct definitions.

Group 1

1. fierce (adj.) a. a person who is due to participate in a race or competition

2. entrant (n) b. (especially of actions or emotions) showing strong feelings or a

lot of activity, often in a violent way
3. emerging (adj.) c. a word or words given to a computer program in order to make it
do something
4. prompt (n) d. without being aware of what you are doing or the situation that
you are involved in
5. unwittingly (adv.) e. a statement saying that you think a person is guilty of doing
something wrong or illegal
6. accusation (n) f. starting to exist, grow or become known

Group 2

1. plagiarism (n) a. the programs used by a computer for doing particular jobs

2. software (n) b. make something bigger or to improve the quality of something

3. upscale (v) c. the act of copying another person’s ideas, words or work and
pretending that they are your own
4. overcome (v) d. defeat or succeed in controlling or dealing with something

5. submit (v) e. give or offer something for a decision to be made by others

3 Listening for specific information

Listen to the report. Look at the items and numbers mentioned in the report. Write down what they
relate to.

a. Jason Allen:

b. Midjourney:

c. DALL-E 2:

d. 60:

e. 4:

f. 300:

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4 Listening for comprehension

Listen to the report again. Answer the questions true (T), false (F) or not given (NG).

1. The blue ribbon is the top prize in the Colorado State Fair’s contest for emerging digital artists.

2. The ‘Théátre D’opéra Spatial’ was created using an AI program.

3. The software used to create the winning entry generates images after gathering information from
millions of pictures it finds online.

4. Human artists have been deliberately uploading their artworks to the internet to make it easier
for AI software to generate new images.

5. Midjourney generates a selection of images in high-definition.

6. The man who submitted the winning entry seemed apologetic about his decision.

Why do you think the decision to award the prize to an AI-generated image has attracted criticism
from artists?

5 Reading: general vocabulary

Match the words and phrases in bold with the correct definitions.

1. My sister has been given a commission to create a giant painting about our city. (n)

2. Lawyers shouldn’t allow their feelings to interfere with their work. (phr. v)

3. Some things are universal, which is why certain films and stories appeal to people all over the
world. (adj.)

4. If you don’t post every day, the algorithm will make it harder for people to see your content. (n)

5. The film moved me in a way no other film has; I was in tears. (v)

6. The concepts that the artist explores are difficult to describe – you should see her work. (n)

7. The dancers swirled around in circles, their costumes extending behind them. (v)

a. ideas or principles that are connected with something abstract

b. a formal request to somebody to design or make a piece of work such as a building or a painting

c. prevent something from succeeding or from being done or happening as planned

d. a set of rules or computer calculations

e. true or right at all times and in all places

f. caused somebody to have strong feelings, especially sympathy or being sad

g. moved quickly with a twisting, circular movement, or to make something do this

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6 Reading for general understanding

You are going to read a text about people’s reactions to the winning entry in the Colorado State Fair
contest. Scan the text on page five quickly and match the profession with the correct speaker. One
profession cannot be matched to any of the four speakers in the text and should be marked ‘Not
given’.

Harry Lana Andy Rachel not given

illustrator

writer

actor

company
owner

shop
assistant

7 Reading comprehension

Read the article again. Match the statements with the correct speakers. Some statements can be
matched to more than one speaker. One of the statements cannot be matched to any of the speakers
and should be marked ‘Not given’.

1. They think that AI is being used to steal images and potentially jobs from artists. →

2. They think that art is something very human, and that computers will never be able to produce it.
→

3. They are planning on using AI image generation software to make money. →

4. They think that AI image generation software could be used to create fake news stories. →

5. They think the software is interesting, but haven’t had much personal success with it. →

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Can machines make art?

Members of the public react to the victory for AI
Harry, 34

As a child, I used to draw from time to time. I wasn’t very good at it and got bored easily. I remember how
frustrating it was to have this idea in my mind, but not be able to express it on the page. That’s why I started
my new company. We were inspired by similar AI image generators. Ours will be unique, with a pricing model
to match. We’ll charge people by the word, which I think is genius. Of course, you can generate an image with
just one word, but we’ll highlight some of the fantastic creations on the first page of our website, and remind
people that each time they enter a prompt, a different image will be generated. I can see people happily spending
hundreds of pounds to create the perfect logo with our software. The main difference between using an AI tool
and hiring an artist is that it’s in your hands – you can translate your imagination into an image without having
someone else interfere with your idea.

Lana, 29

It takes a long time to become an illustrator. I studied art at school, then university. I did a Master’s in Illustration
and spent years scraping a living doing commissions before I finally got a few big breaks. Even though I’ve worked
with some well-known publishers and companies, I don’t earn a great deal and have to work extremely hard on
each project I take. I’m always professional, and put a lot of heart into my work. That’s why I feel awful when I
read about people winning competitions with AI "artworks". These new computer programs are designed to steal
jobs from hard-working, talented artists, reducing years of expertise and experience to a 60-second exercise in
plagiarism. These images are made by collecting little pieces of actual art and creating a hybrid monster. I think
the companies behind these apps should be regulated before it’s too late.

Andy, 25

I wouldn’t call myself an expert on art. I’ve never even been to a gallery. I work in a phone shop, and last week a
customer came in with one of these AI images as her phone’s background. We were all amazed by how good it
looked – but she pointed out the imperfections we hadn’t noticed at first, such as circles that aren’t fully formed
and faces that didn’t look quite right. Still, I was curious, so I did a bit of research at home. I signed up for one of
these AI tools – some of them have public beta tests for free – and I tried to make some images of my own. Some
of the prompts I entered created interesting graphics. Some of them even looked like real paintings, although
the AI couldn’t seem to come up with something that was accurate to my original prompt – "bear dancing on the
beach with cocktail glass".

Rachel, 59

What is art? We’ve been trying to answer that for all of human history, haven’t we? I think, no matter what your
background is, you’d agree that art is a human concept. It’s our stories and ideas and hopes and fears. It has
nothing to do with algorithms or machines. Art is universal, in that we tend to think of ourselves as the centre
of the universe, and it is true that it exists across cultures, often uniting us in ways that other things cannot. I’m
not an artist myself, although, as an actor, I feel that I share some of the creative energy artists have – but I have
always had a keen interest in art, and I spent many a rainy weekend in art galleries. When you look at a painting,
you can see the soul of the artist in the swirling colours. Computers will never be able to create something that
moves a human being.

Sources: nytimes.com, theguardian.com, theartist.me, midjourney.com

Glossary
Master’s degree (noun): a further university degree that you study after a first degree
scrape a living (idiom): manage to live on the money you have, but with difficulty

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8 Talking point

In pairs or small groups, discuss the following questions.

1. In your own words, what is art?

2. Do you think that everyone has the same idea of what art is?
3. Can machines create art? Do you consider the AI images you have seen today to be art?
4. Will all art be created by machines in the future? Will human artists continue to exist?
5. Can you think of any other creative jobs that might be under threat from machines?
6. Do you think that Jason Allen should apologise for entering the art contest?

9 Extended activity/homework

1. Write an opinion essay on ONE of the topics below. Your essay should agree or disagree with the
statement and should be 260 – 320 words.

• Computers will never be able to create art. Art is something human, that only humans can
understand.
• In the end, computers will take all of our jobs. We should focus on creating a society in which
everyone is paid enough money to survive by the government, so that machines can do our work
for us.

2. Watch the video below. After watching the video, make some notes in response to the following
questions. Has the video changed your view on AI-generated art? Do you think that AI-generated
art will become the next big thing?

1. Has the video changed your view on AI-generated art?

2. Do you think that AI-generated art will become the next big thing?

3. Alternative extended activity for homework:

Using the website below, take turns to write prompts for your partner and generate your own AI
images. Afterwards, discuss in pairs or small groups whether the images were accurate to your original
prompt or not. Link: https://creator.nightcafe.studio/

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10 Homework: vocabulary
Part A: Complete the dialogue below with the words and phrases from the box. You may need to
change the tense of the word or phrase. After completing the dialogue, read it out with a partner,
focusing on pronouncing the key vocabulary correctly.

swirl / move / universal / concept / commission / interfere with / algorithm

Lauren: What are you doing after you graduate?

Neil: Well, I was thinking of doing a Master’s degree. I’d like to do one in illustration.
Lauren: That sounds interesting! I always loved drawing, but my parents persuaded me to study
1
law instead. They said that illustrations will be created by
in the future, so it would be hard to find secure work.
Neil: Did they? Well, I know some people are worried about it, but I don’t think machines
2
are going to replace us. I’ve already started getting ,
in fact.
Lauren: Good for you! I mean, I agree with you, I think art is something special that only humans
can make. Actually, I went to a gallery last weekend and saw some paintings from the
3
early 20th century. The way the colours together to
create something unique is just amazing.
4
Neil: Don’t tell anyone, but the first time I went to an art gallery it
5
me so much that I cried. I think art is such a difficult
6
to define, but on the other hand, it’s , and we can all
appreciate paintings from any part of the world.
Lauren: I think it’s great that you’re so passionate about it! I really hope nothing
7
your plans to be an illustrator. Even though I’m studying
law, I think I’ll end up scraping a living working in restaurants and bars, at least for a
year or two. I wish I’d studied art instead!

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Part B: Complete the sentences with words in the box. You may need to change the form of the word.

entrant / submit / unwillingly / emerge / prompt / accusation / upscale

1. Although robots are more widespread these days, they still rely on human and
are not truly intelligent.

2. Making false against someone is considered a crime in many countries.

3. I’m my short story to a competition tonight. Wish me luck!

4. My friends asked me to one of the photos I took of their wedding. They’re going
to hang it on their living room wall.

5. The police arrested my sister for aiding a criminal, although they later apologised
and released her.

6. Many of the to the contest come from poor backgrounds. I hope one of them
wins the prize money!

7. The government has decided to set up a special grant to help writers become
financially independent.

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