But Bodge says what Duolingo needed was the ability to converse with learners in niche contexts and “immersively”-to have a free-flowing conversation about basketball or the bliss of reaching the top of a mountain.

Previously, Duolingo attempted to “chat” with learners through scripted conversations incorporating classic scenarios like ordering food, meeting someone for the first time, or buying a plane ticket. “It was close to being ready,” said lead engineer Bill Peterson, “but we didn’t feel it was at the point where we could confidently integrate it to handle the complex automated aspects of chats.” “We wanted AI-powered features that were deeply integrated into the app and leveraged the gamified aspect of Duolingo that our learners love,” says Bodge.ĭuolingo engineers had tried using GPT-3 to supplement some of the human-powered features in its earlier chat feature.

Duolingo turned to OpenAI’s GPT-4 to advance the product with two new features: Role Play, an AI conversation partner, and Explain my Answer, which breaks down the rules when you make a mistake, in a new subscription tier called Duolingo Max.

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