Artificial Intelligence for language learning

Artificial intelligence is reshaping the language learning industry. The use of technology in the field of linguistics is growing and could make communication across language barriers increasingly more efficient and effective.

In this blog post, we will look into how technology can help students practise and improve their language skills.

How to use AI to learn a new language?

Learning a language using Artificial Intelligence can be really fun due to the game-like user interface that many existing language education applications have. Some of the benefits that AI can bring to language learning are: 

Adapting to student needs

AI-powered language learning apps allow students to learn at their own pace, studying and revising topics that are interesting for each person. Data also allows teachers to understand and track the progress of students in an easy way. 

Providing instant feedback

AI can provide instant feedback that students can apply immediately to avoid mistakes in the future. As far as teachers are concerned, AI can reveal areas of weakness that need to be reinforced based on the results of students. 

No fear of failing by the student

When students make mistakes or get a bad mark they often feel ashamed, especially if they are in front of other students or their teacher. AI can assess learners without judging them. It’s okay to make mistakes! 

A redefined role for teachers where they can focus on the most important tasks 

AI will not replace teachers, but it will redefine their role. Technology will take care of some of their mundane tasks such as filling up paperwork and they will focus on more important tasks such as teaching grammar or syntax. 

What is the state of AI in language learning? 

While technology is increasingly making the learning experience more interactive (think: apps that can translate what you see as you walk down the street or machine translation tools that can help you understand a text in a foreign language), most apps today still follow a somewhat traditional, textbook model of language comprehension.

The popular app Duolingo is a pioneer in Artificial intelligence and machine learning and the future of language acquisition as a whole. In Duolingo’s case, its artificial intelligence program began in 2016. The company released “Duolingo Bots”, a service that allows robots to talk to you intelligently in the language you are learning. 

“AI plays a big role in our ability to scale high-quality education to everyone who needs it,”  “We started this company with a mission to make education free and accessible to everyone in the world. At the time, there was no good way to learn a language for free.”

Duolingo’s chief executive

An easier kick-off

Technology such as Duolingo Bots can be an excellent tool for students who might be shy. In fact, there is a lot of tabu or embarrassment surrounding communicating with native speakers of a language when learning, so this model could be a great way to help those language learners.

Imagine being able to practice not only writing, but also speaking, with a non-judgmental, non-human entity in order to perfect your vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar! 

We look forward to seeing how AI will impact the language learning industry!