AI in the Wild: It's Already All Around You!

In Passage A, the narrator notices that the music app swapped out her chosen songs for ones she had never heard. What does this detail tell the reader about how the app works?

• The app had a glitch that played random songs by mistake

• The app was paying attention to what she liked and making choices based on that

• The narrator accidentally changed her own settings while she was asleep

• The app only plays popular songs that everyone listens to

Answer explanation

The app was paying attention to what she liked and making choices based on that.

The narrator says the app swapped out her chosen songs for ones she "had never heard of but somehow always liked." This tells the reader the app was not acting randomly — it was learning her preferences and making decisions based on them. Answer A is wrong because there is no mention of a glitch. Answer C is wrong because she was asleep. Answer D is wrong because the songs were personalized to her, not broadly popular.

At the end of Passage A, the narrator's mom says everything in her workday has "some kind of silent helper running underneath it." What is the most likely reason the author included this detail?

• To show that adults use technology more than kids do

• To suggest that AI is only useful for people who work full-time jobs

• To show that what the narrator experienced is not unusual — it affects nearly everyone

• To warn readers that technology is making people dependent and lazy

Answer explanation

To show that what the narrator experienced is not unusual — it affects nearly everyone.

The mom's comment expands the scope of the passage from one student's day to something that touches everyone's life. This reinforces the central idea that AI is widespread and invisible. Answer A is not supported — the passage never suggests adults use it more than kids. Answer B is wrong because the mom is describing all tasks, not just high-demand jobs. Answer D is a possible interpretation but goes further than the text supports — the mom's tone is matter-of-fact, not alarmed.

According to Passage B, how is a prediction system different from a recommendation system?

• Prediction systems suggest products, while recommendation systems detect fraud

• Recommendation systems guess what will happen next, while prediction systems suggest content

• Prediction systems forecast future events, while recommendation systems suggest content a person might want

• Prediction systems only work for weather, while recommendation systems only work for shopping

Answer explanation

Prediction systems forecast future events, while recommendation systems suggest content a person might want.

Passage B states this distinction clearly. Recommendation systems analyze patterns to suggest what you might want next (Spotify, Amazon). Prediction systems forecast what is going to happen (weather apps, fraud detection). Answers A and B have the definitions reversed. Answer D incorrectly limits each system to a single use case — the passage gives multiple examples for both.

Read this excerpt from Passage B. Click on an example of a recommendation system.

Passage B explains that recognition systems are "trained to identify what is already in front of them."

Which of the following is the best example of a recognition system based on that definition?

• A playlist app that suggests new songs based on your listening history

• A weather app that forecasts rain three days from now

• A writing tool that suggests how to finish a sentence you started

• A spam filter that analyzes a message and identifies it as unwanted email

Answer explanation

A spam filter that analyzes a message and identifies it as unwanted email.

Passage B defines recognition systems as those trained to identify what is already in front of them — meaning they analyze existing input and classify it. A spam filter reads a message that already exists and decides what it is. Answer A describes a recommendation system. Answer B describes a prediction system. Answer C describes a generation system.

In Passage A, the narrator's social media feed "knew the exact moment she was about to get bored and showed her something new just in time."

Based on what you learned in Passage B, which type of AI was most likely responsible for this?

• Recognition, because the app was identifying the narrator's face to personalize her feed

• Generation, because the app was creating new posts for her to read

• Recommendation, because the app was analyzing her behavior to keep her engaged

• Prediction, because the app was forecasting the weather for her location

Answer explanation

Recommendation, because the app was analyzing her behavior to keep her engaged.

Passage B explains that recommendation systems analyze patterns in a user's behavior to suggest what they are likely to want next. The social feed in Passage A is doing exactly that — reading her engagement patterns and serving up content at precisely the right moment. Answer A is wrong because facial recognition identifies a person's identity, not their mood or attention. Answer B is wrong because the app is surfacing existing posts, not creating new ones. Answer D is wrong because prediction systems forecast future events, not user behavior in a feed.

Both passages are about AI, but they approach the topic in very different ways.

What is the most important difference between how Passage A and Passage B present information about AI?

• Passage A argues that AI is harmful, while Passage B argues that AI is helpful

• Passage A shows AI through a person's lived experience without naming it, while Passage B directly names and explains how AI works

• Passage A is written for adults, while Passage B is written for younger students who may not be familiar with AI or how it works

• Passage A only covers social media, while Passage B only covers shopping apps

Answer explanation

Passage A shows AI through a person's lived experience without naming it, while Passage B directly names and explains how AI works.

This is the core structural difference between the two passages. Passage A is a narrative where AI is present but invisible — the reader has to infer it. Passage B is informational and names each AI type explicitly. Answer A is wrong because neither passage takes a clear position that AI is harmful. Answer C is not supported by anything in either text. Answer D is wrong because both passages reference multiple contexts — Passage B alone covers weather apps, banking, translation, and more.

Which moment from the story or the informative passage surprised you most, and why?