AI Personalized Learning in Duolingo and Babbel
As a student who grew up speaking two languages, I was always intrigued by learning other languages. Recently, I decided to start learning Portuguese and didn’t know where to begin. So I started looking for Language Learning apps and came across a couple. I came across two applications, Duolingo and Babbel. So instead of choosing one over the other, I used both simultaneously to see which I would prefer in the long run and which was the most suitable for my type of learning.
Duolingo AI Approach
Duolingo is an effective application for learning new languages. During my time with Duolingo, I really appreciated the AI technology incorporated by Duolingo. Before learning a new language, Duolingo begins with a set of questions to measure your comfortability with the chosen language, why you’re learning the language, and how often you’d like to practice. Once the user answers the following questions, Duolingo does the rest and sets up a schedule for the user. Throughout my time with Duolingo, I enjoyed their AI system, Birdbrain. The Duolingo AI system analyzed my grammatical mistakes and constantly adapted to my learning needs. What made Duolingo so engaging was the “human” learning experience. Whenever I made a mistake or couldn’t remember anything, the AI would remember it for the next session instead of trying to get me to remember the forgotten phrase. Having this comfortability of not forcing myself to learn but instead learning naturally makes the Birdbrain AI so effective.
Duolingo Training Data
As for the effect of training data from English learners, I believe it won’t affect the language learning experience for other languages. From a communication standpoint, the way we communicate can be expressed in a non-verbal way, which translates into how we speak to each other and form sentences (Narsaria, 2022). This means that regardless of the training data, the AI can simulate the learning patterns for other languages as the learning experience is similar for many languages.
Babbel AI Approach
Similarly, Babbel was also very similar to Duolingo. The structure and AI system were very identical, where the learning process would begin with a questionnaire to allow the system to create a training schedule. What I liked about Babbel was the conversationalist approach to language teaching and voice recognition. At the end of each lesson, the built-in AI would commence a conversation. During this conversation, the user would practice what they learned, and the AI would correct their pronunciation. This approach was extremely helpful in helping me pronounce and gain confidence in my conversations.
Conclusion
Ultimately, humanizing the AI system in language learning is beneficial for users wanting to learn a new language. Using linguistic patterns makes it recognizable for AI to create new lessons and fix past mistakes. The constant adjustments and personalization for each user make for a comfortable learning experience that leads to better learning.
References
Narsaria, A. (2022, January 22). How Do We Speak Without Speaking? Science ABC. https://www.scienceabc.com/social-science/how-do-we-speak-without-speaking.html
Hi Max,
I really enjoyed reading your blog post about the AI Personalized Learning in Duolingo and Babbel. I definitely agree with you about the effectiveness of Duolingo’s AI system, Birdbrain. The ease of learning organically rather than through willpower is what makes the Birdbrain AI so powerful. It is a wonderful technology because Birdbrain builds unique user profiles for each user and makes accurate predictions about each user’s learning trajectory in order to give a customised experience.
Do you believe that artificial intelligences may be detrimental to students’ learning? What aspect of AI in your studies did you like the most?
Thanks,
Abdul