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 presented two new AI features at the annual Duocon conference: Video Call and Adventures – both aimed at improving your language skills with AI.
Video call, as the name suggests, is a video phone call with an AI character that speaks the language you are trying to learn. The feature uses the widely used Duolingo character Lily, a somewhat stiff but smart personality, who will chat with you using AI to realistically understand and respond to what you say. That includes what she says and the voice that says the words, which in tone and cadence mimics a human quite well, with pauses for “thinking” incorporated into the dialogue.
It’s not a one-size-fits-all conversation either. Lily will adjust her response based on how far you are in learning the language, gently correcting mistakes and encouraging you to keep trying. Currently, Lily only speaks English, Spanish and French, although the company plans to add more soon. Furthermore, 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 introduces you to various real-world scenarios where you must interact with Lily or fellow Duolingo mascot Oscar to complete tasks and solve problems at school, at the store and elsewhere, exploring along the way.
The idea is to learn to speak in useful contexts and build vocabulary along the way. The AI characters correct any mistakes by adjusting what they say so you can understand it better, similar to how a (very patient) real person would try to help a visitor who doesn’t speak the language. The adventure feature is only available to English speakers learning French and Spanish speakers learning English. However, Adventures is not limited to Max subscribers and will be accessible through the Duolingo app.
Video Call and Adventures continues Duolingo’s investment in AI for its app. Last year, the company partnered with OpenAI to offer Max subscribers detailed explanations of wrong quiz answers using the Explain My Answer feature and the chance to practice conversations with generative AI chatbots in the Role Play feature. As AI translation and educational tools continue to proliferate, these could be key for Duolingo to remain 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 world’s best education and make it universally available. We believe the best way to do that is by continually pushing the boundaries of the to push technology forward.” 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.”