Conversation Topics / Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence Conversation Questions for Adult ESL Classes
Use these 20 discussion questions about Artificial Intelligence to run a full speaking lesson with adult learners (B1–B2). Each part opens with a vocabulary warm-up, every question is labelled with the thinking skill it practises, and each part fills roughly thirty minutes of class time on its own.
Reviewed by Brando Oxley · 8 Aug 2026
Part 1
AI in Everyday Life
Focus: sharing experience, describing uses, comparing tools, evaluating benefits, solving problems, and giving advice
Think of one AI-powered tool or service, one verb connected to using AI, and one place or situation where people might use it.
Describe each word without saying it directly. Your teacher or partner must guess the word.
EXPERIENCE
When have you used artificial intelligence in your daily life, even if you did not realize it was AI at the time?
DESCRIBE
Describe an AI tool that you have used or heard about. What can it do, and who might find it useful?
PREFERENCE
Which everyday task would you most like AI to make easier for you? Explain why that task would be useful to automate.
COMPARE
Compare asking an AI assistant for information with searching for the answer yourself. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?
EVALUATE
For which tasks do you trust AI, and for which tasks would you still prefer help from a person? Explain your choices.
PLAN
Imagine you are very busy for one week. How could you use AI to help organize your work, study, shopping, or daily responsibilities?
PROBLEM-SOLVE
An AI tool gives you an answer that sounds confident but may be incorrect. What should you do before using the information?
ADVISE
A friend wants to start using AI but does not know where to begin. What advice would you give them?
BALANCE
How can people enjoy the convenience of AI without becoming too dependent on it?
REFLECT
Which human skill do you think will remain especially important even as AI becomes more capable? Explain your reasoning.
Part 2
AI at Work, School, and in Society
Focus: analyzing change, discussing responsibility, comparing viewpoints, considering fairness, predicting effects, and creating solutions
Choose one word from each category: Person: student, teacher, doctor, office worker; Action: create, check, translate, recommend; Place: classroom, hospital, office, home; Feeling: curious, worried, impressed, confused. Use your four words to describe a short scene in two or three sentences.
ANALYZE
Which kinds of jobs are most likely to change because of AI, and what parts of those jobs may still need people?
COMPARE
How is using AI for help with schoolwork different from asking a teacher, classmate, or tutor for help?
DISCUSS
When does using AI for an assignment become unfair or dishonest, and where should the line be drawn?
EVALUATE
Should employers allow workers to use AI freely, or should companies create clear rules about when it can be used?
CULTURE
How are people in your country responding to artificial intelligence? Are they mostly excited, worried, interested, or unsure?
BALANCE
How should society balance faster technological progress with concerns about privacy, mistakes, and job losses?
PROBLEM-SOLVE
Imagine an AI system makes an important mistake that harms a customer. Who should be responsible, and how should the problem be handled?
PREDICT
How might education change over the next ten years if AI assistants become common for every student?
JUSTIFY
Should people always be told when they are communicating with AI instead of a human? Defend your position.
CREATE
Design one rule for responsible AI use that you think schools, workplaces, or governments should adopt. What problem would your rule solve?