New app teaches foreign nurses Finnish

Frustrated with her own difficulties with language learning, Anne-Mari Pitkänen developed the AliceAI app.

Anne-Mari Pitkänen, who holds a degree in education and computer science, decided to hire a private native English-speaking teacher. Pitkänen became frustrated that her teacher was unable to give her clear feedback about her learning progress.

“For some reason, learning languages has always been really difficult for me. A couple of years ago, fed up with this learning challenge, I hired a native English speaker to teach me. However, I got frustrated, because even though I had a private language teacher, she couldn’t give me the kind of feedback about my progress I’d have hoped to get,” Pitkänen, now the CEO of AliceAI Learning, says.

Pitkänen says that one human cannot give precise data to another.

“Of course, she said I was making progress, but that was too general for me, and I began to wonder if there was a way AI could help me get precise data about my progress.”

Pitkänen set to work. Last year, the start-up AliceAI Learning and its app, AliceAI, were born. The app uses AI to teach languages while also visualizing and digitalizing the learner’s skills in the app.

The start-up’s co-founders and co-owners are Pitkänen’s husband Aleksi Pitkänen, Päivi Leinonen, Suvi Suutarinen and Ilona Juvonen.

In the early days of the start-up, the company aimed the app at foreign healthcare workers to help them learn the Finnish they needed at work.

“Finland needs more and more workers from outside Europe. For example, nurses come here from the Philippines. Their integration through language is really important, and with our app, they can start learning it in their home country. The language is really important for patient safety.”

Industry pioneer

Pitkänen is beginning a doctorate in education, with the topic of an AI-assisted language learning app to support professional language skills.

Only in recent years has ICALL, “intelligent computer-assisted language learning”, arrived on the language-learning scene. It combines natural language processing and AI modelling with computer-assisted learning. By using developments such as this, AliceAI can digitalize a learner’s language skills.

“We’re pioneers. It’s only now that tech is starting to truly enable bespoke teaching.”

Pitkänen says that the app is markedly different from the numerous other language-learning apps.

“For me, it’s important that we act in a scientifically sound manner, because although there are lots of apps out there today, the level varies a lot. Many people don’t get that we’re doing this based on the needs of the working world. I’m doing research and at the same time developing the app. It’s important for me that things are grounded in prior research.”

Tailored learning experience

AliceAI measures a language learner’s speaking, listening, writing and reading skills. First, it charts the user’s initial situation and skill level, after which it defines the user’s needs.

The curriculum includes industry-specific and role-based vocabulary. A nurse and a doctor need to command different types of language. The plan is to first test the app in a healthcare setting.

“Learning the language for a specific profession is a really complicated process. For example, a healthcare context has thousands upon thousands of specialist terms. You also have to know the industry’s practices and working culture,” Pitkänen says.

Pitkänen says there are two healthcare professionals on the AliceAI Learning team.

The development process will become easier in future when a few more industries are added to the app. In addition to healthcare, the team has its sights on industries such as construction and retail.

“I’m sure there’ll be international demand for this once we expand into other language areas,” Pitkänen says.

Anne-Mari Pitkänen’s tips

Network. That’s really important, because when you talk about your idea and others get excited about it too, that motivates you. What’s more, people always know other people, and the more active you are in the start-up world, the more you benefit.
Trust your intuition. It’s important to dare to start growing your own tentative idea into a big one.
Courage. You must face your fears and prejudices and push through those fears.

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