Google is testing a new AI bot that makes conversations with
people using their speech as input. The model was developed for the purpose of
helping people practise a new language.
Google rolled out this conversational AI bot back in October of last year, but it was underdeveloped at the time as its capability was limited to providing feedback on spoken sentences. In the latest updated version, the bot can now help users practice having ongoing conversations in the language they are learning; although it currently only supports conversations in English.
This newly added feature is, however, only accessible for users
of Google’s Search Labs – the company’s sandbox where new Search features can
be tested. The feature is currently available in the following regions:
Argentina, Colombia, India, Mexico, Venezuela, and Indonesia. It is not certain
as of now whether or not Google will be adding a wider language support to the bot
or expanding the list of countries.
So this is Google’s take on language learning, but without a
proper system that other learning apps, like Duolingo or Babbel, are based on. Regardless,
Google claims that the bot can not only assist learners in their language
practice, but can also help them learn the best usage of words or conjugations within
different contexts of conversations. Having said that, AI-assisted language learning
is actually not new - it has been previously adopted by some language learning
platforms including Duolingo and Memrise.
