Now Watch the Film and Answer the Questions

I, Robot

Vocabulary check

Do you know what the following words mean? Use them to complete the definitions chart below.

a special type of photograph or image made with alaserin which the objects shown look solid or 3D, as if they are real, rather than flat
to hurt someone or damage something
the crime of killing someone (noun, US English)
the science of making and using robots
someone who doesn’t like using or distrusts technology
when people secretly plan together to do something wrong or illegal
to close one eye for a short time as a way of greeting someone or showing friendliness
a person believed to have committed a crime or done something wrong
(What is the verb? How do you pronounce it? Is there an adjective?)
An area where a crime has been committed
The abbreviation of Artificial Intelligence which is the study of how to produce machines that have some of the qualities that the human mind has, such as the ability to understand language, recognize pictures, solve problems and learn
The ability to decide what to do without any outside influence

Read the questions and underline the key words. Do you need to check any vocabulary before you watch the film?

Now watch the film and answer the questions.

1. When and where does the action take place?

2. Name the Three Laws of Robotics.

3. What is Spooner’s (Will Smith) job?

4. Why is Spooner a technophobe?

5. List some of the tasks performed by robots in society.

6. What’s the name of the dead scientist in the hologram?

7. What is VIKI?

8. What is the name of the book Spooner finds in the USR lab?

9. Who or what is Spooner’s main suspect in the scientist’s death?

10. Why does Dr Susan Calvin disagree with him?

11. Sonny, the robot, claims he dreams. What other human behaviour or emotions does he

exhibit?

12. The scientist believed in “ghosts in the machine”. What does he mean by that?

13. Dr Susan Calvin qualifies the robot as unique. What makes Sonny unique?

14. Describe Sonny’s dream.

15. VIKI is leading a robot revolution. How does VIKI justify this?

16. At the end of the movie, humans abandon NS-5 robots and send them to a

storage place. What do you think their future will be like? What will Sonny’s

rolebe?

Follow up.

Think about the following question and write a response. Post it on the Wiki to start a discussion!

Did you enjoy the film? How realistic do you think the film is? Could this happen?

How are robots used in today’s society? Do you know of any examples of AI?

In the future, how do you think robots will help us? What problems might they cause?

Are there any ethical issues surrounding robotics? Should humans be trying to create ‘artificial’ life?