Languages hold the power to transcend borders and cultures. A remarkable example of this lies in the story of Amanda from Manila and Rob from Washington DC who used a blend of English, Tagalog, and their own creative Language to nurture their relationship. But what brought the couple closer together? Duolingo — the Pittsburg-based language learning app enabled them to communicate, shattering the barriers of distance and language for the couple. 

To make this possible, Duolingo has been leveraging cutting-edge AI. It was one of the beta users of OpenAI’s GPT-4 before it was rolled out to the public, introducing two innovative AI-backed features called ‘Role Play‘ and ‘Explain My Answer‘. These new features are part of Duolingo Max, a new subscription tier aimed at enhancing the language learning experience. 

“We have been developing the AI secret sauce for years to make education more effective and engaging. In September 2022, we collaborated with OpenAI to build brand new learning features using GPT-4,” Klinton Bicknell, head of AI at Duolingo, told AIM in an exclusive interaction. 

Bicknell said that with the integration of GPT-4, Duolingo aims to provide learners with the ability to hold natural conversations on various topics in specific contexts, as well as receive detailed explanations for their answers. While these features are currently available in Spanish and French, Duolingo plans to expand the availability to more languages and introduce additional AI-driven features in the future.

How is GPT-4 Changing Duolingo

‘Explain My Answer’ uses GPT-4 to generate detailed explanations for learners, helping them understand why their answers were correct or incorrect. This feedback enables learners to identify their mistakes and improve their skills more rapidly. On the other hand, the ‘Roleplay’ feature offers learners an AI-powered conversation partner, allowing them to practice their conversation skills in a safe and supportive environment.

Previously, Duolingo engineers tested GPT-3 as a supplement to human-powered features in their chat function. Although it was close to being ready, they didn’t feel confident enough to integrate it for handling complex automated aspects of chats. Earlier, Duolingo used scripted conversations for chatting with learners, but they desired the ability to engage learners in specific and immersive discussions. With GPT-4, which has been trained on extensive public data, Duolingo aims to provide learners with a flexible and dynamic conversation experience.

These new features can be accessed through their new subscription model called Duolingo Max, which offers an enhanced and immersive learning experience compared to the Super Duolingo version. While Super Duolingo provides benefits such as an ad-free environment, unlimited hearts, and unlimited attempts at Legendary challenges, Duolingo Max encompasses all these features while introducing the transformative ‘Roleplay’ and ‘Explain My Answer’ features. “As a powerful language model developed by OpenAI, GPT-4 facilitates personalised feedback generation, conversation generation, and interactive learning experiences for Duolingo users,” said Bicknell.

Duolingo has also developed a custom ML model called ‘Birdbrain’ that analyses learners’ knowledge levels and predicts the difficulty of language materials, complementing the existing personalisation system. “Birdbrain takes the understanding of learners even further by extending its knowledge to all aspects of the language learning app,” said Bicknell.

The personalised learning engine suggests suitable lessons based on individual learners’ progress and weaknesses. Additionally, AI is employed to provide specific feedback and create a gamified experience that keeps learners motivated and engaged. 

Breaking Barriers: AI Fuels Education Access

The integration of AI into language learning, as demonstrated by Duolingo’s collaboration with OpenAI, holds great significance. AI allows for a more engaging and effective learning experience by replicating some of the qualities of a human tutor and scaling that experience to reach learners who may not have access to quality teachers or tutors. “Our vision is to use AI to provide users with an experience that closely resembles learning with a real human tutor, making language education more accessible and impactful for people around the world,” concluded Bicknell.

Besides Duolingo, the non-profit, Khan Academy, too is using GPT-4 to power Khanmigo, an AI-powered assistant that functions as both a virtual tutor for students and a classroom assistant for teachers. 

Back home, Indian edtech companies are currently betting big on LLMs to offer highly personalised learning experiences to students. upGrad, for example, is considering the creation of its own exclusive LLM. Additionally, upGrad has developed a GPT-based chatbot for students to practice mock interviews at their convenience. They are also working on building a coaching bot. Likewise, other edtech firms such as EdZola and Byju’s are leveraging generative AI to enhance their services. Byju has introduced Wiz, a collection of AI models tailored for a personalised learning suite. 

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