Imagine having your very own language tutor who finds resources just for you, reflecting your interests and tailored to your level of language proficiency. That is what you get with AI.
We are still in a world of old style language learning where learners start with step by step grammar and a small subset of vocabulary where you learn to talk about your family and weekly routines, ask for directions and order a meal. AI could focus on the World Cup or the language needed if you are looking after children.
This is one reason why businesses are excited about the possibilities. You can study a language for a very long time before you get to role play ordering plumbing supplies or planning car transporter routes, but AI can find and adapt relevant contextual materials from the beginning.
The internet has brought about an explosion of information. We can access so much content in different languages as the web is awash with videos, text and audio clips to help us learn a new language. Until recently, it has not been so good at providing us with speaking practice. This is where AI scores.
Ben Whately, one of the founders of language app Memrise, explains: ‘AI could transcribe every video on TikTok matched against what you've learned or present you with Instagram videos or YouTube resources that are at your level. All that content is already there, but AI can train it, tune it to what you know. Likewise, we can set up conversational AI, so that you can practise having conversations without having a native speaker present.’