ACT Prompt #3

• 500 words minimum this time!
• Notice the instruction language after the perspectives is the same as the last two ACT essay prompts. Remember that going into your test. You don't have to waste time going over it. You know it already. 

Intelligent Machines

Many of the goods and services we depend on daily are now supplied by intelligent, automated machines rather than human beings. Robots build cars and other goods on assembly lines, where once there were human workers. Many of our phone conversations are now conducted not with people but with sophisticated technologies. We can now buy goods at a variety of stores without the help of a human cashier. Automation is generally seen as a sign of progress, but what is lost when we replace humans with machines? Given the accelerating variety and prevalence of intelligent machines, it is worth examining the implications and meaning of their presence in our lives.

Read and carefully consider these perspectives. Each suggests a particular way of thinking about the increasing presence of intelligent machines. 

PERSPECTIVE 1 — What we lose with the replacement of people by machines is some part of our own humanity. Even our mundane daily encounters no longer require from us basic courtesy, respect, and tolerance for other people. 

PERSPECTIVE 2 — Machines are good at low-skill, repetitive jobs, and at high-speed, extremely precise jobs. In both cases they work better than humans. This efficiency leads to a more prosperous and progressive world for everyone. 

PERSPECTIVE 3 — Intelligent machines challenge our long-standing ideas about what humans are or can be. This is good because it pushes both humans and machines toward new, unimagined possibilities.

Essay Task

Write a cohesive, logical essay in which you evaluate multiple perspectives on intelligent machines. In your essay, be sure to: 
• examine and assess the perspectives given

• declare and explain your own perspective on the issue

• discuss the relationship between your perspective and those given

Your perspective may be in full or partial agreement, or in total disagreement, with any of the others. Whatever the case, support your ideas with logical reasoning and detailed, persuasive examples.

Plan and Write Your Essay

Consider the following as you compose your essay:

What are the strengths and weaknesses of the three perspectives provided?

•        Identify the insights they present and what they fail to consider.

•        Ascertain why a given perspective might persuade or fail to persuade.

How can you apply your own experience, knowledge, and values?

•        Express your perspective on the issue, identifying the perspective's strengths and weaknesses.

•        Formulate a plan to support your perspective in your essay.