レッスンを予約する
Step 1
Read the Article
Read the article to understand the main idea.
記事を読んで、おおよその内容をつかみましょう。
Yahoo tries another comeback with its AI answer engine
Yahoo is trying again to rebuild its business, this time with Scout, an answer engine powered by artificial intelligence. The company’s CEO, Jim Lanzone, hopes the tool can help Yahoo make better use of its worldwide audience of 700 million users who have stuck with the company's finance, sports, news, fantasy and email services.
Lanzone's private equity firm, Apollo Global Management bought Yahoo for $5 billion in September 2021. That was far below the company’s peak market value of $125 billion in early 2000. Before that, Verizon Communications, a major U.S. telecommunications company, bought Yahoo’s online operations in 2017, but failed to combine them successfully with AOL, another early internet company.
Lanzone said he first focused on removing weaker parts of Yahoo. The company sold some media businesses, dropped some advertising technology and ended AOL’s dial-up service. He said Yahoo is now very profitable and makes billions of dollars in revenue, though he did not give exact figures.
Yahoo has also updated fantasy sports and redesigned its email service. Now it is pushing further into AI with Scout, which has been introduced to 250 million users in the United States. Yahoo hopes the product will improve search, give more personal results and send users to its other services.
The company still faces strong competition from Google, whose search business hurt Yahoo years ago, as well as AI tools such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Anthropic’s Claude and the answer engine Perplexity. Yahoo is also relying on AI technology licensed from Anthropic, a sign that it is still catching up.
(AP)
Step 2
Check the Vocabulary and Phrases
Check the following vocabulary and phrases.
以下の単語やフレーズの発音、意味、使い方を確認しましょう。
stick with
～を続ける
to continue with something or continue doing something
If you stick with studying every day, your English will improve quickly.
毎日勉強し続ければ、英語はすぐに上達します。
market value
市場価値
the amount that something can be sold for on a market
The market value of the house increased after the station opened nearby.
近くに駅ができたあと、その家の市場価値は上がりました。
profitable
利益が出る
making or likely to make money
The cafe became profitable after it added online orders.
そのカフェはオンライン注文を始めたあと、利益が出るようになりました。
revenue
収益
the income that a government or company receives regularly
Ticket sales are an important source of revenue for the museum.
チケットの売り上げは、その博物館にとって重要な収益源です。
rely on
頼る
to need a particular thing or the help and support of someone or something in order to continue, to work correctly, or to succeed
Many students rely on the library for a quiet place to study.
多くの学生は静かに勉強できる場所として図書館に頼っています。
Step 3
Comprehension Questions
Answer the following questions based on the article.
理解度問題に挑戦しましょう。
What is Scout and how does Yahoo plan to use it for its users?
Why is Yahoo still considered to be catching up in the AI field?
Step 4
Discussion
Share your opinions on the following questions.
以下の質問について、自分の考えを述べてみましょう。
Do you use one main website or app every day, such as email, news, or sports? What do you use it for?
Are you interested in using AI? What will you use it for?
What do you think makes a search tool easy or useful for you?
Do you think companies should focus more on improving old services or creating new AI tools? Why?
How do you think AI search tools might change the way people use the internet in the future?