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Practicing with a native speaker has long been seen as the best way to learn a language, but Duolingo thinks its AI characters can fill in if you don’t have a global contact list. The language learning app showcased two new AI features at its annual Duocon conference, Video Call and Adventures – both aiming to boost your language skills with AI.
Video Call, as the name suggests, is a video phone call with an AI character who speaks the language you are trying to learn. The feature uses the widely used Duolingo character Lily, a somewhat dour but clever personality, who will chat with you using AI to understand and respond to what you say realistically. That includes what she says and the voice speaking the words, which mimics a human pretty well in tone and cadence, with pauses for ‘thought’ incorporated into the dialogue.
It’s not a one-size-fits-all conversation, either. Lily will adjust her response based on how far along you are in learning the language, gently correcting errors and encouraging you to keep trying. Currently, Lily only speaks English, Spanish, and French, though the company plans to add more soon. Additionally, the feature is also only available to Duolingo Max subscribers.
Adventures with Lily and Oscar
You can do more than just have a conversation with Lily by turning to Duolingo’s Adventures. The simulation game sets you up in different real-world scenarios where you need to communicate with Lily or fellow Duolingo mascot Oscar to complete tasks and solve problems at school, the store, and elsewhere, exploring as you go.
The idea is to learn how to speak in useful contexts and build up vocabulary as you go. The AI characters correct any mistakes by adjusting what they say to help you better understand, similar to how a (very patient) real person would try to help a visitor who doesn’t speak the language. The Adventures feature is only available for English speakers learning French and Spanish speakers learning English. However, Adventures isn’t limited to Max subscribers and will be accessible on the Duolingo app.
Video Call and Adventures continue Duolingo’s investment in AI for its app. Last year, the company partnered with OpenAI to offer Max subscribers detailed explanations on wrong quiz answers using the Explain My Answer feature and the chance to practice conversations with generative AI chatbots in the Roleplay feature. As AI translation and educational tools continue to spread, these may be the key for Duolingo to stay relevant and popular, especially on a global scale where AI tools may not be as accessible.
Luis von Ahn, co-founder and CEO of Duolingo, said “Our mission is to develop the best education in the world and make it universally available. We believe the best way to do that is by continuously pushing the boundaries of technology.” He then continued, “With new AI-powered features like Video Call and Adventures, we’re creating new, immersive ways to practice languages and build confidence.”
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