With AI Development, Is Foreign Language Learning Unnecessary? "Desire to Learn Actually Increases"

Shin-gyeong Weverse Mind AI Research Director
"More Business Opportunities Will Arise with AI Development"
"There Are Human-Exclusive Areas That Machine Voice Cannot Replace"

Director of the Neural Weaversmind AI Research Institute.

The rapid advancement of generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies such as 'ChatGPT' has created a dilemma in the language education industry. The question arises: how will companies survive if AI-powered translation technology becomes so sophisticated that there will be no need to study foreign languages in the future? However, it is also true that AI brings new opportunities, as it allows for the creation of abundant educational content almost infinitely without incurring high costs.

WeverseMind, which operates the smart language learning brand 'Noesaegim,' has recently been deeply contemplating this issue. Shin Kyung, head of the AI Research Institute at WeverseMind, met at the company’s headquarters located in Guro-dong, Guro-gu, Seoul, said, "In fact, even before the AI era began, there has long been no reason to study languages solely with simultaneous interpretation devices or smartphone translation applications." Nevertheless, the demand for language learning has not decreased at all. This is because language learning exists for reasons beyond simple language exchange, so it is a matter to be considered from a different perspective.

Mr. Shin is an expert in the field of 'data mining,' which extracts meaningful information from large data sets. He graduated from the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Seoul National University and completed an integrated master's and doctoral program in computer engineering data mining at the same university’s graduate school. After founding and running an AI company related to math learning, he worked in the AI team at Quantamatrix, a KOSDAQ-listed company, before joining WeverseMind early last year. He is a university classmate of Jung Sung-eun, the founder and CEO of WeverseMind, who was also a founding member of the domestic mobile game company Gamevil.

Mr. Shin said that in the 'hyper-connected era,' where everything worldwide is connected through technological and industrial development, the need for language skills is actually increasing. He stated, "Not only countries but various industrial elements are interconnected, creating new business opportunities that require corresponding language abilities," adding, "There are areas that only humans can handle, which machine-generated voices cannot imitate." The desire to learn is also an undeniable factor. Mr. Shin noted, "People in their 60s and 70s, who may not have many years left to live, often spend more opportunity costs on language learning than younger people in their teens and twenties, yet their enthusiasm for courses is considerable." He recalled, "I was impressed by the passion of a senior learner who wanted to order a hamburger alone on an overseas trip without anyone’s help."

Director of the Neural Weaversmind AI Research Institute.

Founded in 2009, WeverseMind will celebrate its 15th anniversary next year. True to a company led by a CEO from the gaming industry, its strength lies in a motivation system that appropriately combines learning and gaming elements. The company experienced rapid growth, with sales increasing from 46.1 billion KRW in 2019 to 85.3 billion KRW in 2021. Last year, it recorded 52.5 billion KRW in sales. Sales in the first quarter of this year rose by 26% compared to the previous year. Mr. Shin said, "The highest sales proportion is among people in their 40s," explaining, "This is because it is easy to study anytime and anywhere with a dedicated device without needing to go to an academy."

WeverseMind is currently actively utilizing generative AI when creating educational content. In the past, they outsourced this work, but now they use generative AI for story creation and editing. It is also applied to image production and marketing.

WeverseMind holds 12 technology patents, including methods for memorizing vocabulary using pictures and correcting pronunciation by analyzing waveforms. They plan to undertake various attempts to integrate generative AI with these technologies in the future. Mr. Shin said, "Our ultimate goal is to provide customized services to customers based on our strength in data collection," adding, "There will be opportunities not only in education but also in various fields such as commerce."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.