Google launches AI tools for practicing languages through personalized lessons

Google on Tuesday publishes three new AI experiment aimed at helping people learn to speak a new language in a more personalized way. Although the experiments are still in the early stages, it is possible that the company wants to take over Duolingo with the help of twins, the Google Multimodal Model of the Great Language.

The first experiment helps you to learn the specific phrases you need quickly in the moment, while another experiment helps you sound less formally and more like a local.

The third experiment allows you to use a camera to learn new words based on your environment.

Google notes that one of the most striking parts of learning a new language when you find yourself in a situation where you need a particular phrase you have not learned yet.

With the new “Tiny Lessoning” experiment, you can describe the situation, such as “Finding a Lost Passport”, to receive vocabulary and grammatical tips adapted to the context. You can also get suggestions for answers, such as “I don’t know where I lost it” or “I want to report it to the police.”

The next experiment, “Slang Hang”, wants to help people sound less like a textbook when they speak a new language. Google says that when you learn a new language, you often learn to speak formally, which is why it experiments with a way to learn people to speak colloquially with local slang.

With this feature you can generate a real conversation between the original speaker and see the dialog developing one message. For example, you can learn through a conversation where the street supplier talks to a buyer or a situation where a couple of two long -lost friends are reunited in the subway. You can hover over the expression you are not familiar with to find out what they mean and how they are used.

Google says that the experiment occasionally abuses a particular slang and sometimes makes words, so users need to be crossing them with reliable sources.

The third experiment, “Word Cam”, allows you to photograph your surroundings, after which the twins will discover objects and mark them in the language you learn. The feature also gives you additional words you can use to describe objects.

Google says that sometimes you need words for things that are in front of you, because it can show you how much you just don’t know yet. For example, you may know the word for “window”, but you may not know the word for “shutters”.

The company notes that the idea behind these experiments is to see how AI can be used to make independent learning more dynamic and personalized.

New experiments support the following languages: Arabic, Chinese (China), Chinese (Hong Kong), Chinese (Taiwan), English (AU), English (UK), English (USA), French (Canada), France (France), Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Spanish, Korean, Portugal, Portugal, Portugal). Tools can be accessed through Google Laboratory.