Chatbots Don't Judge: How AI Can Help Language Learners
If you're someone who has been panicking about the rise of the robots — hold on there just a second, and let them help you impress your friends and colleagues with some newfound skills in a foreign language.
Using artificial intelligence (AI) to help us learn and improve those skills is not new — some of the online language tools we turn to every day are powered by AI.
But as new technologies flood into the market, now is a great time to take advantage of the tech.
And according to experts, these tools aren't replacing teachers and tutors — they're making their lives easier.
One of the things that stops some of us from practicing speaking in a new language is a lack of self-confidence.
AI can help — chatbots don't judge you. Of course, teachers don't either, but for some people, communicating with a bot may erase that fear of failure or shyness.
The latest chatbots use something called natural language processing that allows them to understand human speech or writing, providing a human-like response right away.
While chatbots are extremely useful for learners working individually, teachers can also upload course material and ask an AI system to produce personalized textbooks for groups of students.
The AI can also provide feedback in seconds — gone are the days of waiting a week for work to be graded.
Past online language tools and games were able to tell you when you were wrong, but they weren't always able to explain why. Now, not only has that changed, but the explanations are detailed and instantaneous.
But this is not to underestimate the role of the teacher, who can use the technology to help learn more about the strengths and weaknesses of their students and personalize their teaching.
So, if you want to impress your friends with your flawless speech, don't be afraid of AI. Just think of it as a useful tool for both teachers and language learners, which will give you more time and space to enjoy learning something new!
