視頻版（節(jié)選）

完整音頻

完整全文：?

Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I’m Catherine.

大家好，歡迎來到六分鐘英語。我是凱瑟琳。

And hello, I’m Rob.

大家好，我是羅伯。

Today we have another technology topic.?

今天我們有另一個科技話題。

Oh good! I love technology. It makes things easier, it’s fast and means I can have gadgets.

噢，很好！我愛科技。它讓事物變得簡單，發(fā)展迅速，并且那意味著我有許多計算機小工具。

Do you think that technology can actually do things better than humans??

你認為科技真的能做得比人還好嗎？

For some things, yes. I think cars that drive themselves will be safer than humans. But that will take away some of the pleasure of driving. So I guess it depends on what you mean by better.?

對一些事情來說，是的。我覺得自動汽車比人類駕駛更安全。但是那會帶走一些駕駛的樂趣。所以我猜它取決于你指的是什么會更好。

Good point, Rob. And that actually ties in very closely with today’s topic, which is technochauvinism.

說得好，羅伯。那實際上和今天的主題——科技至上主義非常接近。

What’s that?

那是什么？

We’ll find out shortly, Rob, but before we do, today’s quiz question. Artificial Intelligence, or A.I., is an area of computer science that develops the ability of computers to learn to do things like solve problems or drive cars without crashing. But in what decade was the term ’Artificial Intelligence’ coined? Was it: a) the 1940s, b) the 1950s or c) the 1960s?

我們很快將會找出答案，羅伯，但是在那之前是今天的測試問題。人工智能或者A.I.是電腦科學(xué)的一個領(lǐng)域，它開發(fā)計算機學(xué)做像解決問題或者無事故駕駛汽車這些事情的能力。但是在哪個年代人工智能產(chǎn)生？是a) 20世紀40年代， b) 20世紀50年代 還是 c) 20世紀60年代？

I think it’s quite a new expression so I’ll go for c) the 1960s.

我認為那是非常新穎的一種表達，所以我選c) 20世紀60年代。

Good luck with that, Rob, and we’ll give you the answer later in the programme.Now, let’s get back to our topic of technochauvinism.

祝你好運，羅伯，我們稍后將在節(jié)目中告訴你答案?，F(xiàn)在讓我們回到我們的主題——科技至上主義。

I know what a chauvinist is. It’s someone who thinks that their country or race or sex is better than others. But how does this relate to technology??

我知道什么是沙文主義者。它指的是認為自己的國家或者是種族或者是性別比別人好。但是這是如何和科技聯(lián)系到一起的。

We’re about to find out. Meredith Broussard is Professor of Journalism at New York University and she’s written a book called Artificial Unintelligence. She appeared on the BBC Radio 4 programme More or Less to talk about it. Listen carefully and find out her definition of technochauvinism.

我們就要找出答案了。梅雷迪恩·布魯薩德是紐約大學(xué)新聞學(xué)教授，并且她寫了一本叫做《人工非智能》的書。她做客BBC廣播4頻道的More or Less節(jié)目來談人工智能。仔細聽并找出她對科技至上主義的定義。

Technochauvinism is the idea that technology is always the highest and best solution. So somehow over the past couple of decades we got into the habit of thinking that doing something with a computer is always the best and most objective way to do something. And that’s simply not true. Computers are not objective.they are proxies for the people who make them.?

科技至上主義是認為科技一直是最先進，最好的解決之法的一種觀念。所以在過去幾十年里我們陷入了認為計算機做事一直是最好的，最客觀的做事方式的思維習(xí)慣。那根本是不對的。計算機不是客觀的。它們是計算機創(chuàng)造者的代理服務(wù)器。

What is Meredith Broussard’s definition of technochauvinism??

梅雷迪恩·布魯薩德對科技至上主義的定義是什么？

It’s this idea that using technology is better than not using technology.?

它是認為使用科技比不使用要好的觀念。

She says that we have this idea that a computer is objective. Something that is objective is neutral, it doesn’t have an opinion, it’s fair and it’s unbiased.So it’s the opposite of being a chauvinist. But Meredith Broussard says this is not true.?

她說我們認為計算機是客觀的。某事客觀就是中立，沒有主觀觀點，公平且沒有偏見。所以它是沙文主義者的反義詞。但是梅雷迪恩·布魯薩德說這是不對的。

She argues that computers are not objective. They are proxies for the people that make them. You might know the word proxy when you are using your computer in one country and want to look at something that is only available in a different country. You can use a piece of software called a proxy to do that.?

她爭辯說計算機不是客觀的。它們是計算機制造者的代理服務(wù)器。當(dāng)你在一個國家使用電腦并想要查找只在別國能找到的某種事物時，你或許會知道代理服務(wù)器這個詞。你可以用一個叫做代理服務(wù)器的軟件來做那件事。

But a proxy is also a person or a thing that carries out your wishes and your instructions for you. So computers are only as smart or as objective as the people that programme them. Computers are proxies for their programmers. Broussard says that believing too much in Artificial Intelligence can make the world worse. Let’s hear a bit more. This time find out what serious problems in society does she think may be reflected in AI??

但是"proxy"也是為你執(zhí)行想法和指令的人或者事。所以電腦計算機只是和編程它們的人一樣聰明而已。電腦是編程者的代理服務(wù)器。布魯薩德說對人工智能信任太多會令世界更糟糕。讓我們多聽一些。這次要找出她認為人工智能會對社會造成什么嚴重問題？

It’s a nuanced problem. What we have is data on the world as it is. And we have serious problems with racism, sexism, classism, ageism, in the world right now. So there is no such thing as perfect data. We also have a problem inside the tech world where the creators of algorithms do not have sufficient awareness of social issues such that they can make good technology that gets us closer to a world as it should be.?

它是一個微妙的問題。事實上我們有的是全球數(shù)據(jù)。而且我們現(xiàn)在還有和種族歧視，性別歧視，階級歧視，對老年人的歧視相關(guān)的問題。所以沒有完美數(shù)據(jù)這回事。在科技的世界里我們同樣有問題，運算法則的制造者對于社會問題沒有足夠的認識。他們本可以用好的科技讓我們離世界更近。

She said that society has problems with racism, sexism, classism and ageism.

她說社會有種族歧視，性別歧視，階級歧視和對老年人歧視的問題。

And she says it’s a nuanced problem. A nuanced problem is not simple, but it does have small and important areas, which may be hard to spot, but they need to be considered.?

而且她說那是一個微妙的問題。一個微妙的問題并不簡單，但是它涉及微小但重要的領(lǐng)域，那很難撲捉到，但卻需要考慮到它們。

And she also talked about algorithms used to program these technological systems. An algorithm is a set of instructions that computers use to perform their tasks. Essentially it’s the rules that they use to come up with their answers.And Broussard believes that technology will reflect the views of those who create the algorithms.?

而且她同樣談到用來編程這些技術(shù)體系的運算法則。運算法則是計算機執(zhí)行任務(wù)的一系列指令。從本質(zhì)上來說，它是找出解決方案的準則。而且布魯薩德認為將會反映運算法則構(gòu)建者的想法。

Next time you’re using a piece of software or your favourite app, you might find yourself wondering if it’s a useful tool or does it contain these little nuances that reflect the views of the developer.

下次你使用一款軟件或者你最愛的應(yīng)用時，你或許會發(fā)現(xiàn)自己在猜想它是否是一款有用的工具或者是它是否包含影響開發(fā)者想法的微妙之處。

Right, Catherine. How about the answer to this week’s question then??

好吧，凱瑟琳。接下來談?wù)勥@周問題的答案怎么樣？

I asked in which decade was the term ’Artificial Intelligence’ coined. Was it the 40s, the 50s or the 60s??

我問什么年代人工智能產(chǎn)生。是40年代，50年代還是60年代？

And I said the 60s.

我說是60年代。

But it was actually the 1950s. Never mind, Rob. Let’s review today’s vocabulary.?

但是實際上是20世紀50年代。別介意，羅伯。讓我們回顧一下今天的單詞。

Well, we had a chauvinist. That’s someone who believes their country, race or sex is better than any others.?

好的，我們學(xué)到了沙文主義者。那是相信自己的國家，種族或者性別比別人要好的某些人。

And this gives us technochauvinism, the belief that a technological solution is always a better solution to a problem.?

這就到了“科技至上主義”這個詞，認為科技解決之法一直比其他解決之法要好的觀點。

Next, someone or something that is objective is neutral, fair and balanced.

接下來，某人或者某事是客觀的就是說它是中立的，公平的，不偏不倚的。

A proxy is a piece of software but also someone who does something for you, on your behalf. A nuanced problem is a subtle one.It’s not a simple case of right or wrong. In a nuanced problem, there are small but important things that you need to consider.

代理服務(wù)器是一個軟件，但同樣也是代表你，為你做某事的某人。微妙的問題是一個微小的問題。它不是簡單的正確與否。在微妙的問題中有細小但重要的事情需要你考慮。

And an algorithm is a set of software instructions for a computer system.?

運算法則是電腦系統(tǒng)的一套軟件指令。

Well, that’s all we have time for today. Goodbye for now.?

好的，以上就是今天的所有內(nèi)容。再見了。

Bye bye!

拜拜！