Language learning: Babbel relies even more heavily on AI

Since the end of last year, the Babbel language platform has been offering all its customers a speech trainer based on generative AI as part of an open beta. The Berlin-based company has now announced that it has significantly expanded this offering under the name "Babbel Speak".

It now offers "active language production": Instead of just practicing vocabulary or grammar, learners could train realistic conversations in various scenarios. This could involve greeting a neighbor, ordering something in a café or talking about the weather. According to Babbel, it's not about completely open conversations like ChatGPT, but about pedagogically curated scenarios with clear learning objectives. To achieve these, the AI chatbot provides direct feedback on what is said, according to the developer.

According to Babbel, it was also important to take away the "fear of the first sentences" for beginners. In comparison, previous AI features were more about general progression in the learning process. The new feature is therefore also integrated into the curriculum: It specifically supplements Babbel courses with the step "from learning to speaking", i.e. the transfer into real communication.

The function is available via the Speak tab in the Babbel app, which is available on both Android and iOS. It can be used by English speakers who are learning Spanish, German, French and Italian, as well as French and German speakers who are learning English. According to Babbel, it is also introducing a new, stress-free and intentionally calming design that is based on meditation apps. The focus is on emotional comfort and creates less cognitive overload. As a result, there is no pressure to perform like in real language courses.

Babbel Speak is starting as an open beta to enable further iterations, according to the provider. In this respect, the function is available to subscribers at no additional cost. (nij)