Google Launches AI-Powered Language Learning Tools to Revolutionize Personal Language Acquisition

Google launches AI tools for practicing languages through personalized lessons | TechCrunch

Google on Tuesday is releasing three new AI experiments aimed at helping people learn to speak a new language in a more personalized way. While the experiments are still in the early stages, it's possible that the company is looking to take on Duolingo with the help of Gemini, Google's multimodal large language model. The first experiment helps you quickly learn specific phrases you need in the moment, while the second experiment helps you sound less formal and more like a local. The third experiment allows you to use your camera to learn new words based on your surroundings. Google notes that one of the most frustrating parts of learning a new language is when you find yourself in a situation where you need a specific phrase that you haven't learned yet. With the new "Tiny Lesson" experiment, you can describe a situation, such as "finding a lost passport," to receive vocabulary and grammar tips tailored to the context. You can also get suggestions for responses, like "I don't know where I lost it" or "I want to report it to the police." The next experiment, "Slang Hang," wants to help people sound less like a textbook when speaking a new language. Google says that when you learn a new language, you often learn to speak formally, which is why it's experimenting with a way to teach people to speak more colloquially, and with local slang. With this feature, you can generate a realistic conversation between native speakers and see how the dialogue unfolds one message a time. For example, you can learn through a conversation where a street vendor is chatting with a customer, or a situation where a pair of two long-lost friends reuniting on the subway. You can hover over terms you're not familiar with to learn about what they mean and how they're used. Google says that the experiment occasionally misuses certain slang and sometimes makes up words, so users need to cross-reference them with reliable sources. The third experiment, "Word Cam," lets you snap a photo of your surroundings, after which Gemini will detect objects and label them in the language you're learning. The feature also gives you additional words that you can use to describe the objects. Google says that sometimes you just need words for the things in front of you, because it can show you how much you just don't know yet. For instance, you may know the word for "window," but you might not know the word for "blinds." The company notes that the idea behind these experiments is to see how AI can be used to make independent learning more dynamic and personalized. The new experiments support the following languages: Arabic, Chinese (China), Chinese (Hong Kong), Chinese (Taiwan), English (AU), English (UK), English (US), French (Canada), French (France), German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Russian, Spanish (LatAm), Spanish (Spain) and Turkish. The tools can be accessed via Google Labs.

Google Takes Aim at Duolingo With AI Tools To Help You Learn New Languages

Expertise Community Solar, State Solar Policy, Solar Cost and Accessibility, Renewable Energy, Electric Vehicles, Video Games, Home Internet for Gaming Google is debuting three new AI experiments that are intended to help users learn foreign languages on the go. The tools utilize Google's Gemini large language model to identify objects and situations in a user's immediate environment and provide translations that could help users ask for help or spark a conversation. II you want to give the new experiments a try, you can find them on the Google Labs webpage. Google experiments aren't applications -- which means you don't have to download anything to get started. You can just click into the experiment you want to try and begin typing in your prompts. Read more: Best AI Chatbots of 2025 In debuting these new features, Google is going head-to-head with other foreign language-learning services that are also focusing on AI tools. Duolingo's CEO recently announced that the company "will be going AI-first," and OpenAI's ChatGPT has the ability to begin new foreign-language conversations at any time upon request. Google's new Tiny Lesson tool allows users to describe a situation they're in to learn vocabulary and grammar that can help describe a problem to the locals. Using the provided context, the tool will provide suggestions that aid users in understanding how to ask for help if they haven't learned specific phrases tailored to their current issue. The Slang Hang tool promotes casual conversation over rigid sentence structure and grammatical agreement, teaching users how to drop the formalities and adapt a more colloquial way of speaking a foreign language. Slang Hang simulates conversations between native speakers and lets users discover what any words or phrases in the series of messages mean. The AI model sometimes misidentifies or hallucinates words, so you'll need to double-check with another source when using this feature. The third and final new tool, Word Cam, uses Gemini to detect objects in photographs you take -- providing you translations for your surroundings in the foreign language you're learning. This feature helps you describe the world around you, but it's possible that Gemini may not accurately label every single object in a picture you take. It's still worth double-checking the translations you're provided against another source while using Word Cam. The language-learning experiments were created as a way to "inspire developers using Gemini for building different use cases and experiences," Google representative Maggie Shiels told CNET. This particular set of experiments is meant to focus on using the multimodal LLM as a way to promote bite-sized lessons on the go. Google's new features aren't launching for every language -- at least, not yet. Tiny Lesson, Slang Hang and Word Cam currently support translations for the Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Turkish languages. Shiels said that Tiny Lesson, Slang Hang and Word Cam -- like other Google Labs experiments -- are not products and are not meant to be permanent features. "This is a limited-time tool that will eventually sunset," she told CNET. "We hope that developers have fun playing around."

Google's New AI Tools Aim to Make Language Learning Easier on the Go

Every now and then, Google tests some interesting applications of its AI models via the Google Labs platform. The company's latest set of experiments aim to make language learning more fun and easier in your everyday life. The three new tools, collectively called Little Language Lessons, are powered by Google Gemini and can be accessed via the Google Labs page on any browser. With Tiny Lesson, you can select a language and add a scenario to get words, phrases, and tips. In our test, we asked for Hindi words and phrases commonly used during grocery shopping. The results were accurate, and the tips section covered some essential grammar points. With Slang Hang, you get to select a target language and, at times, a dialect. If you don't select a dialect for supported languages, the tool will pick one randomly. The next page will automatically generate a conversation between two acquaintances. You'll have to hit the space bar to generate sentences one after the other; you can also click the speaker button to hear the sentence out loud. Unfortunately, you can't set a custom scenario, but you can always hit the refresh button to pull up a new automated one. Finally, the Word Cam tool lets you launch a camera, click a photo, and find words for objects in the picture. Google will label each object with the translated word; clicking on the label can help you learn more words and phrases associated with it. The Little Language Lessons "is just an early exploration," Google says. Like any other Labs experiment, these are "built with Google AI to inspire new use cases and UX paradigms for AI." They might only be available for a limited time, shut down occasionally, and generate bizarre, offensive, or inaccurate content, Google warns. Google might have just given us a preview of how AI can transform language learning, as other companies also lean into it. The three-part experiment arrives after popular app Duolingo announced its transition to being an "AI-First" company. In a memo shared with employees and on LinkedIn, Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn said that the company will gradually eliminate all contract workers whose work can be replicated using AI.

Learning a new language? Google's latest experiment makes it effortless and kinda fun

Google continues to expand the ways it integrates its AI into everyday life, and its latest experiment aims to make learning a new language a little more personal and practical. The company has announced a new set of features called Little Language Lessons, which use generative AI to help people pick up vocabulary and expressions in bite-sized, real-world contexts. According to Google, Little Language Lessons are not intended to replace formal study methods, such as textbooks or courses. Instead, it focuses on helping users weave small, manageable language-learning moments into daily life. The experiments include three primary tools: Google claims the goal is to spark curiosity and encourage frequent, low-pressure learning moments, whether that's while ordering coffee or describing things seen during the day.

The latest experiment from Google Labs uses Gemini to help teach you a new language

NotebookLM's AI podcasts go multilingual in Google's latest update Summary Google has launched three new AI-powered language learning tools, Tiny Lesson, Slang Hang, and Word Cam, under its "Little Language Experiments" initiative. Tiny Lesson helps learners recall situation-specific vocabulary, Slang Hang generates realistic native speaker conversations, and Word Cam identifies and labels real-world objects in the learner's target language using photos. These experiments are part of Google Labs' ongoing efforts to enhance education with AI and are currently available for public testing. Like most companies, Google's team has clearly been working overtime to integrate AI into its services as much as possible. While AI has been creeping into nearly every field you can think of, education has been impacted significantly. One of these AI tools includes Google's very own AI-powered note-taking app, NotebookLM. While the tool has managed to become a household name for many students and researchers in the past few months and continues to grow in popularity, it didn't start that way. In July 2023, it was introduced as an experimental project by Google Labs under the code name "Project Tailwind." Given the tool's success, Google ended up dropping its experimental label. Related Google Gemini: 5 ways to use Google's AI-powered assistant day-to-day It can make a lot of everyday tasks a lot easier Posts Of course, NotebookLM is far from the only Google Labs experiment. Unfortunately, a lot of them get nuked before they even get the chance to shine. Google Lab's latest experiment was just announced, and from what it looks like, it's aiming to take on Duolingo to help you learn a new language. I played around with it, and I'm convinced that it might just make its way past testing and become a staple for language learners. Google's Little Language Experiments are clearly coming for Duolingo As announced via a blog post on Google for Developers, the company debuted three new AI experiments, which Google calls Little Language Experiments. These are designed to help make the tedious process of learning a language easier. All three experiments were a result of Google's engineers experimenting with the Gemini API, which grants them access to the latest generative models from Google. This means that all three of the bite-sized learning experiments are powered by Google's multimodal large language model (LLM), Gemini. Despite being a writer and working with words for a living, there have been many times when my mind blanks out completely, and a word or phrase is on the tip of my tongue -- and I just can't quite recall it in the moment, no matter what I do. Now, imagine the same situation with a slight caveat: you find yourself needing a specific word or phrase, but it's in a language you're still learning. This is exactly the kind of scenario Google Labs' first experiment, Tiny Lesson, was designed for. By describing a situation, like "booking a taxi," Tiny Lesson compiles useful vocabulary, phrases, and grammar tips in the language you're learning based on your scenario. Whether you're learning a new language using a gamified platform like Duolingo or the traditional way using a textbook, there's something common between both methods -- you'll notice you end up sounding too formal. Even once you start feeling comfortable conversing in the language, there's always a certain stiffness that can make your conversations feel too robotic. While one way to get rid of the formal textbook language is through real-life interactions, that can be a challenge for many too. The second experiment of the Little Language Lessons, called Slang Hang, can help with this. Slang Hang allows you to "generate a realistic conversation between native speakers." You can then analyze the conversation and hover over highlighted terms and learn their literal meanings, as well as when they're used. The conversation will be generated in your target language, though you can also choose to translate it into your native language. What's cool about Slang Hang is that the scenarios generated are all unique and could be as mundane as "two coworkers meeting on the subway" to "a pair of long-lost friends unexpectedly reuniting at an exotic pet show." When I tried it, here's the scenario I got: Meredith, a marine biologist, is inspecting a newly discovered, bioluminescent coral reef with Kai, a local fisherman who stumbled upon it. They're currently aboard Kai's boat, anchored just outside the reef's perimeter. Meredith is buzzing with excitement, while Kai is cautiously optimistic about the potential tourism. While the Tiny Lessons experiment is designed to help you learn situation-specific words and phrases so they're never stuck on the tip of your tongue when you need them, what if you don't have a specific situation in mind? Instead, you'd like to figure out words for things in front of you (or related words). Word Cam, the last bite-sized experiment Google announced, can help with this. With this experiment, all you need to do is snap a photo, and leave the rest to Gemini. The AI assistant will detect objects in your photo, label them in your target language, and also provide you with additional words you can use to describe them. All three of the experiments under Little Language Lessons are just an "early exploration." However, Google states that such experiments hint at exciting possibilities for the future. You can try all three of these experiments for yourself by heading to this Google Labs webpage.

Google's new AI language tool could change how we learn languages -- and Duolingo should be worried

Bringing the fight to Duolingo, Google is releasing three new AI experiments with a focus on teaching people languages in a more personalized way. These experiments are still very much in their formative stages, only available through Google's early access AI Labs. This is where Google uploads experimental tools that show the kind of technology it's working on for the public to test. Currently called Little Language Lessons, this new idea was developed with Google Gemini and offers three different experimental tools. The first is called Tiny Lesson. This offers two boxes, one to choose the language you want to learn and a second where you can input a theme (with a limit of 50 characters). It then offers a list of words you need to learn, with pronunciations, meanings and audio to hear how it sounds. The tool will also offer full sentences with the meanings and audio and an explanation on tenses and context as well. The second tool, known as Slang Hang, lets you choose a country. This will then produce a conversation between two imaginary people using slang words throughout, which you can click on to get a full explanation of the meaning and context. Google has warned this section can be prone to AI hallucinations and potentially make up slang or misunderstand meanings. If you are going to use it, double-check any terms before you try and impress locals with them! The final tool is Word Cam. This is similar to Google's image translation tool, where you can take a photo of text in a different language and get a translation. With this new option, you can take a photo, and Google will provide the terms in the chosen language for different things you can see. For example, take a photo of a fruit market and choose Spanish, and you'll get the terms in Spanish for each of the fruits. It is not clear if this will ever become its own app or even just an extension of Google's Gemini tool. However, you can currently access all three parts via Google Labs. So far, the tool is available in a wide range of languages, including English, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Turkish, and more. There is also the ability to drill down to specific regional versions of languages, which is especially important for the slang learning tool.

Google coming for Duolingo as it launches language learning feature

Learning a new language is one of those goals that many people share, but is hard to achieve in practice. Tools like Duolingo have gained popularity by gamifing the language learning experience, but now Google has taken its own approach, rolling out an experimental set of playful language learning tools powered by its Gemini AI. Google describes the new feature, called Little Language Lessons, as "a collection of three bite-sized learning experiments, all powered by Google's Gemini models." The idea is to tweak language tips to the particular context you're currently in -- such as visiting a restaurant, taking a flight, or dealing with a travel problem like a lost passport. Recommended Videos The Tiny Lesson experiment lets you input the language you're trying to learn and the context you're in, then gives you vocabulary words, phrases, and some helpful tips which give you more information about topics like politeness or how to phrase a request. At the bottom of each section, you can hit the See More button to bring up even more entries, giving you a quick overview of key words and phrases for your current activity. The Slang Hang experiment will be appealing to those looking to practice their language skills in a more natural, casual way. It generates simulated conversations between two native speakers, including the kinds of slang and casual phrases that people use in real life but that don't always appear in textbooks. The option to translate each section of text helps explain any phrases you don't recognize or understand. Finally, the Word Cam experiment might be the most dramatic feature, as you can use it to take a photo with your phone camera and then have it identify objects in your surroundings. It'll show you the words for those objects in your chosen language, making it quick way to pull up a bunch of relevant vocabulary based on what you're seeing. The current number of supported languages is limited depending on which of the three experiments you try out, but includes Chinese, French, Spanish, German, English, Portuguese, and Russian. You can also select particular dialects for some languages, such as Austrian for German or Argentinian for Spanish, which is helpful for further localization. You can try out the Little Language Lessons on Google Labs, though Google warns users that this is an early-stage experiment and, as content generated by AI, they should check any information with reliable sources. Please enable Javascript to view this content

Little Language Lessons uses generative AI to make practicing languages more personal.

Learning a language isn't just about textbooks or exercises. It's about curiosity, and seizing every tiny opportunity to learn -- whether it's ordering a coffee, catching a phrase in conversation, or describing the objects around you. That's the idea behind Little Language Lessons, a collection of bite-sized learning experiments built using our Gemini models. Each experiment explores a different way that AI can support real-world learning: These experiments aren't about replacing traditional study, but about complementing it: helping people build habits, stay engaged, and weave learning into their everyday lives.

Google's new AI tools teach languages like a local

Google is releasing three new AI experiments to help people learn new languages through personalized lessons. The experiments, powered by Google's multimodal large language model, Gemini, aim to provide a more dynamic and tailored learning experience. The first experiment, "Tiny Lesson," allows users to describe a situation and receive context-specific vocabulary and grammar tips. For example, users can input "finding a lost passport" and get suggestions for responses like "I don't know where I lost it" or "I want to report it to the police." The "Slang Hang" experiment helps learners sound less formal and more like locals by generating realistic conversations between native speakers. Users can hover over unfamiliar terms to learn their meanings and usage. However, Google notes that the experiment may occasionally misuse slang or invent words, requiring users to verify the information with reliable sources. The third experiment, "Word Cam," uses the camera to teach new words based on the user's surroundings. Gemini detects objects and labels them in the target language, providing additional vocabulary to describe the objects. For instance, users may learn the word for "blinds" in addition to "window." The new experiments support 18 languages, including Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, and Spanish. The tools are available on Google Labs.