@ve: A Chatbot for Latin
Oliver Bendel Karim N'diaye
Dead, extinct, and endangered languages have been preserved primarily through
audio conservation and the collection and digitization of scripts and have been
promoted through targeted language acquisition efforts. Another possibility
would be to build conversational agents that can master these languages. This
would provide an artificial, active conversational partner which has knowledge
of the vocabulary and grammar, and one learns with it in a different way. The
chatbot @ve, with which one can communicate in Latin, was developed in
2022/2023 based on GPT-3.0. It was additionally equipped with a manually
created knowledge base. After conceptual groundwork, this paper presents the
preparation and implementation of the project. In addition, it summarizes the
test that a Latin expert conducted with the chatbot. A critical discussion
elaborates advantages and disadvantages. @ve could be a new tool for teaching
Latin in a memorable and entertaining way through dialogue. However, the
present implementation is still too prone to glitches for stand-alone use -
i.e., without the accompaniment of a teacher. The use of GPT-4 could be a
solution as well as the extension of the knowledge base. In conclusion, it can
be argued that conversational agents are an innovative approach to promoting
and preserving languages.