AI's effect on language teachers

[Apoc]

Now that the ChatGPT advanced voice mode is out (even in the EU), anyone else using it as a Mandarin tutor? I've been hitting the max 1 hour per day for a week in a row now and after getting used to it, I find it pretty incredible. Needs some personalization though to make it express fake opinions and keeping its responses shorter. I'm still trying to figure out the perfect prompt. The main annoyance right now is the buggy censorship, sometimes it's basically just citing Wikipedia on the most neutral topic and the censorship kicks in, but other times long discussions without trouble.

[suMMit]

I tried the Chatgpt advanced voice mode and didn't really care for it. It was a few months ago, so the details are a little foggy, but if I remember correctly there was only the choice of one male voice. That male voice to me sounded like an American cool-jazz DJ speaking Chinese. I found the conversations with it very lame and hard to get it to really converse in any depth. It also didn't type any of the conversation out, his side or mine. I possibly missed something, but I wasn't impressed at all. 

 

Yesterday I tried the Chinese app 豆包 that a friend of mine suggested. To me 豆包 seemed much better for practicing conversation with AI. The Chinese voice is the best I've heard from any AI yet. There are different function areas in the app and at least some places you can choose from male/female and regional accents in the voice. It also types out what is said. When I speak to the microphone, it's speech to text is flawless and very smooth. In the standard mode(not 聊天）, it's great practice to ask it a question about a random topic and listen to it's detailed answer and then read the answer. I love how it provided me with a related short video to watch. It's also FREE. For sure worth a play around. Don't know if it can be downloaded overseas, I'm using it in China. 

 

As a side note, and this could largely be in my imagination, but it does seem like 豆包 and DeepSeek's Chinese is overall just a wee bit more authentic. But then I can't judge that and that's not too important to me.

  

[lordsuso]

On 1/30/2025 at 3:46 AM, suMMit said:

Don't know if it can be downloaded overseas

I just downloaded it in France and it works, thank you very much for the recomendation it does seem better than Chatgpt indeed

[abcdefg]

I will try it.