What is this Fluentide episode about?

Speaking of modern life, we often let phones and computers help us make decisions. For example, today is Friday. You want to go out to eat with friends.

What level is this episode for?

This episode is calibrated for HSK 2 (elementary) learners.

What HSK levels is this episode available in?

The same story is available at HSK 1 (beginner), HSK 2 (elementary), HSK 3-4 (intermediate), HSK 5-6 (advanced). Switch level with the selector at the top of the page.

What vocabulary does this episode teach?

Key words: 决定 (juédìng, "to decide; decision"); 饭馆 (fànguǎn, "restaurant"); 聪明 (cōngming, "smart / clever"); 有名 (yǒumíng, "famous / well-known"); 总是 (zǒngshì, "always"); 应该 (yīnggāi, "should / ought to").

What grammar patterns appear in this episode?

让 (ràng) + Person/Object + Verb/Adj: A causative structure meaning 'to let', 'to make', or 'to allow' someone/something to do something or reach a state. 虽然 ... 但是 ... (suīrán ... dànshì ...): A conjunction pair meaning 'Although ... but ...'. In Chinese, both parts are usually spoken, whereas in English 'but' is omitted if 'although' is used. 越来越 + Adjective (yuè lái yuè): Indicates a change over time, meaning 'more and more' or 'increasingly'.

Where can I listen to this episode?

At https://fluentide.com/episodes/how-ai-makes-you-boring — full transcript, line-by-line English translation, pinyin, vocabulary notes, and grammar callouts.

AI Is Making Us Boring — How Chatbots Quietly Pick Our Restaurants and Choices — HSK 2 Chinese Listening Practice (5:33)

说到现在的生活，我们经常让手机和电脑帮我们做决定。

Speaking of modern life, we often let phones and computers help us make decisions.

比如，今天是星期五。

For example, today is Friday.

你想和朋友一起去外面吃饭。

You want to go out to eat with friends.

但是，你不知道去哪一个饭馆。

But, you don't know which restaurant to go to.

这时候，你会怎么办呢？

At this moment, what will you do?

很多人会拿出手机。

Many people will take out their phones.

他们会问手机：“今天晚上去哪里吃饭最好？

They will ask their phone: "Where is the best place to eat tonight?"

手机非常聪明。

The phone is very smart.

它知道哪个饭馆最有名。

It knows which restaurant is the most famous.

它知道哪个饭馆的人最多。

It knows which restaurant has the most people.

它也知道大家觉得哪个饭馆的菜最好吃。

It also knows which restaurant's food everyone thinks is the most delicious.

所以，手机很快就告诉你一个名字。

So, the phone quickly tells you a name.

它说：“你应该去这个饭馆，大家都喜欢这里。

It says: "You should go to this restaurant, everyone likes it here."

你听了手机的话。

You listened to the phone.

你去了那个饭馆。

You went to that restaurant.

那里的菜确实很好吃。

The food there was indeed very delicious.

那里的服务员也很客气。

The waiters there were also very polite.

那里的桌子和椅子都很漂亮。

The tables and chairs there were all very beautiful.

你觉得很高兴，对吗？

You feel very happy, right?

但是，请你想一想。

But, please think for a moment.

你的朋友也问了手机同样的问题。

Your friend also asked the phone the same question.

手机也告诉他去这个饭馆。

The phone also told him to go to this restaurant.

你的同学也问了手机。

Your classmate also asked the phone.

手机也让他去这个饭馆。

The phone also told him to go to this restaurant.

最后，虽然这个城市很大，虽然有很多饭馆，但是大家都去了同一个地方。

Finally, although this city is big and there are many restaurants, everyone went to the same place.

大家都吃一样的菜。

Everyone ate the same dishes.

大家都喝一样的茶。

Everyone drank the same tea.

这就是我们要说的问题。

This is the problem we want to talk about.

有一些美国的老师，他们做了一个学习研究。

There are some American teachers who did a research study.

他们想知道，人自己选东西，和电脑帮人选东西，有什么不同。

They wanted to know the difference between people choosing things themselves and computers helping people choose.

他们看了很多人的选择。

They looked at many people's choices.

他们发现了一个很有意思的事情。

They discovered a very interesting thing.

当电脑帮我们要东西的时候，我们变得越来越像了。

When computers help us choose things, we become more and more alike.

为什么会这样呢？

Why is it like this?

我来解释一下。

Let me explain a bit.

因为电脑喜欢“最好”的东西。

Because computers like the "best" things.

在电脑看来，“最好”的意思就是“最多人喜欢”。

In the computer's view, "best" means "most people like it".

所以，电脑总是把最有名、最红的东西那是给你。

So, the computer always presents the most famous and popular things to you.

它希望你高兴，所以它不给你不一样的东西。

It hopes you are happy, so it doesn't give you different things.

慢慢地，大家的衣服是一样的。

Slowly, everyone's clothes become the same.

大家看的电影是一样的。

The movies everyone watches are the same.

大家听的音乐也是一样的。

The music everyone listens to is also the same.

我们每个人都没有什么不同了。

We each don't have any differences anymore.

这就是那个老师说的第一种情况。

This is the first situation that teacher spoke about.

还有第二种情况。

There is also a second situation.

现在的电脑更聪明了。

Computers nowadays are smarter.

它认识你。

It recognizes you.

它知道你叫什么名字。

It knows what your name is.

它知道你去年买了什么。

It knows what you bought last year.

它知道你喜欢吃什么。

It knows what you like to eat.

比如说，电脑知道你喜欢吃苹果。

For example, the computer knows you like to eat apples.

下一次，你想买水果的时候，电脑会告诉你：“买苹果吧，你喜欢苹果。

Next time, when you want to buy fruit, the computer will tell you: "Buy apples, you like apples."

再下一次，它还是说：“买苹果吧。

The time after that, it still says: "Buy apples."

虽然你很喜欢苹果，但是你永远不买香蕉了。

Although you really like apples, you will never buy bananas.

你也永远不买西瓜了。

You will also never buy watermelons.

你不知道西瓜好不好吃，因为电脑没告诉你。

You don't know if watermelon tastes good because the computer didn't tell you.

你的世界变得很小。

Your world becomes very small.

你只做以前做过的事情。

You only do things you have done before.

你只看以前看过的东西。

You only watch things you have watched before.

你不再去新的地方了。

You don't go to new places anymore.

虽然电脑是想帮助你，但是它让你变得很“无聊”。

Although the computer wants to help you, it makes you become very "boring".

无聊就是没意思。

"Wúliáo" means uninteresting.

人最有意思的地方，是我们每个人都不一样。

The most interesting thing about humans is that we are all different.

有的人喜欢红色的衣服，有的人喜欢白色的衣服。

Some people like red clothes, some people like white clothes.

有的人喜欢吃甜的，有的人喜欢吃咸的。

Some people like eating sweet things, some people like eating salty things.

有时候，我们会选错。

Sometimes, we will choose wrongly.

比如，我们去了一个不好的饭馆，菜很难吃。

For example, we go to a bad restaurant and the food tastes bad.

但是，这也是一种学习。

But, this is also a kind of learning.

这也是生活的一部分。

This is also a part of life.

如果我们总是听电脑的话，我们就不会选错了。

If we always listen to the computer, we won't choose wrongly.

但是，我们也失去了发现新东西的机会。

But, we also lose the opportunity to discover new things.

那个美国的老师说，我们不要总是听电脑的。

That American teacher said we shouldn't always listen to the computer.

有时候，我们要自己想一想。

Sometimes, we need to think for ourselves.

我们要自己去选。

We need to choose for ourselves.

哪怕那个饭馆不有名，哪怕那个电影没人看。

Even if that restaurant isn't famous, even if no one watches that movie.

也许你会发现一个很好的东西。

Maybe you will discover something very good.

也许你会变得跟别人不一样。

Maybe you will become different from others.

这才是真正的你。

This is the real you.

所以，下次手机告诉你“这是最好的饭馆”的时候，你可以想一想。

So, next time the phone tells you "This is the best restaurant", you can think about it.

“最好”是什么意思？

What does "best" mean?

是不是只是因为去的人多？

Is it just because many people go there?

你可以不去这个“最好”的地方。

You can choose not to go to this "best" place.

你可以去旁边那个小饭馆试一下。

You can go to that small restaurant next door to try it out.

这就是我们今天要告诉大家的事情。

This is the thing we want to tell everyone today.

我们刚才说的，其实是关于“人工智能”的问题。

What we just spoke about is actually a problem regarding "Artificial Intelligence".

人工智能就是像人一样聪明的电脑技术。

Artificial Intelligence is computer technology that is as smart as humans.

现在用人工智能的人很多。

Nowadays, many people use Artificial Intelligence.

但是研究发现，人工智能让我们变得没有个性，让我们变得很像机器人。

But research has found that Artificial Intelligence makes us lose our individuality and makes us become very much like robots.

所以，我们要小心，不要让技术把我们变得没意思。

So, we must be careful not to let technology make us uninteresting.

电脑让我们变得没意思

What is this episode about?

Script

What vocabulary does this episode teach?

What grammar patterns appear in this episode?

Proper Nouns

Sources

More HSK 2 Episodes