Of the professions in danger of being replaced by AI, language teacher is certainly up there.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s not necessarily because it\u2019s a good idea. AI, some employers have decided \u2014 including Duolingo<\/a>, recently \u2014 is a reasonable enough stand-in for human experts when it comes to language instruction. Despite the fact that AI-translated text tends to be less lexically rich<\/a> than human translations, the cost savings are attractive enough to make the trade-off worth it in certain managers\u2019 minds.<\/p>\n But some companies argue that AI can do at scale what language teachers can\u2019t.<\/p>\n One of those is Loora<\/a>, which leans on conversational AI to teach English to students. Founded by Roy Mor and Yonti Levin, Loora\u2019s iOS app has users chat with a chatbot that gives feedback on their English comprehension.<\/p>\n \u201cThe idea for Loora [came from] our frustration with language learning,\u201d Mor told TechCrunch in an email interview. \u201cLanguage learning apps are only geared toward beginners or casual learners, and human tutors are very expensive, inconvenient and have limited availability.\u201d<\/p>\n Loora, whose namesake is the Arabic word for \u201clanguage,\u201d offers learners several AI-generated conversation subjects and scenarios to choose from, from sports, tech, business, fashion, books and TV shows to interviews and presentations. The app provides feedback on grammar as well as pronunciation and accent, and \u2014 if users get stuck \u2014 a direct translation in their native tongue.<\/p>\n Image Credits:<\/strong> Loora<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Loora scores users on their proficiency over time, and employs this score to personalize conversations at their speaking level.<\/p>\n Quite a few English learning platforms offer features along those lines, including OpenAI-backed Speak<\/a>, Preply<\/a> (which recently doubled down on AI tech) and ELSA<\/a>. But Mor claims that Loora\u2019s different in that it\u2019s aimed at \u201cserious learners\u201d trying to achieve fluency in English for personal and<\/em> professional advancement.<\/p>\n \u201cMost other language learning apps on the market are limited and gamified,\u201d Mor said. \u201cLoora has built, trained and optimized its AI for the sole purpose of enabling users to achieve English fluency \u2014 far beyond casual conversational skills \u2026 We only use our own data and bespoke training and evaluation system for training and optimizing our models, resulting in continuously-improving retention.\u201d<\/p>\n Mor makes the additional case that Loora is a better fit versus other apps and tutors for specific language learning use cases \u2014 for example pitching ideas in a business meeting. Tutors, he asserts, are limited by their domain knowledge \u2014 a limitation Loora\u2019s app doesn\u2019t have (or so Mor claims). And speciality tutors are likely to be in higher demand than general, all-around ones, Mor adds.<\/p>\n \u201cSay a learner is interested in learning to discuss business concepts at a high level for work purposes,\u201d Mor said. \u201cIf the tutor is unfamiliar, despite being a native speaker, they\u2019ll be poorly suited to teaching English for that specific purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s promising a lot considering the limitations inherent in language education apps \u2014 particularly those without an element of human feedback.<\/p>\n In a Michigan State University study<\/a> of the effectiveness of popular language learning apps, nearly every participant improved on grammar and vocabulary but only around 60% improved in oral proficiency \u2014 a common sticking point in digital language learning programs. The study\u2019s authors concluded that a hybrid setup \u2014 one combining online and classroom learning \u2014 was the best approach for learning and retaining second language skills.<\/p>\n Loora assigns a score depending on the user\u2019s perceived English proficiency.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n But this hasn\u2019t dissuaded Loora\u2019s investors, who might\u2019ve been persuaded by the size of the total addressable English language learning market (over $70 billion by 2030, according<\/a> to data analysis firm Research and Markets).<\/p>\n Loora today announced that it raised $12 million in a Series A round led by QP Ventures with participation from Hearst Ventures, Emerge and Two Lanterns Venture Partners \u2014 bringing Loora\u2019s total raised to $21.25 million. The cash, Mor says, will be put toward funding the development of Loora\u2019s Android app, \u201cdeepening\u201d Loora\u2019s core AI tech and conversational capabilities and expanding the startup\u2019s workforce from 14 employees to 25 by the end of 2024.<\/p>\n Loora also intends to launch an enterprise service, broadening beyond its current customer base of 15,000 app users. (Loora charges $15 per month or $120 a year for access to its app.) While the startup\u2019s consumer business has been expanding steadily \u2014 8x in 2023, in terms of annual recurring revenue \u2014 Mor sees a growth accelerator in corporate clientele.<\/p>\n \u201cOur planned business-to-business offering will see Loora available through employers, universities and institutions, making it increasingly accessible to those who want and need it most,\u201d Mor said. \u201cWith [the Series A] fundraise, our efficient unit economics, growing customer base and the ever-present demand for English learning solutions, we believe we\u2019re well positioned to weather any potential headwinds and continue to grow and serve our learners.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"Loora\"](\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/COVER_-_screenshot_from_loora.ai_.jpg\")
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