Artificial intelligence services such as ChatGPT are becoming increasingly popular among people in Japan as a way to learn new languages, with the number of people using such tools increasing by more than 80% in 2024, a recent survey showed.

According to the annual Language Report released by language-learning app Duolingo earlier this month, 10.9% of respondents used AI-powered tools to study a new language ¡ª up from 6% last year.

Apps were the most popular learning method, with around 58% of respondents using them, followed by video streaming services such as YouTube and Netflix (37%), textbooks (35.6%) and online lessons (15.6%). Only 13.8% of people said they were studying a new language through in-person classes.

Overall, AI tools were preferred to in-person classes or radio language programs among respondents under 40.

The online survey, which targeted 4,700 native speakers of Japanese across the country, also showed that familiarity with using AI as a tool for language learning was higher among younger generations, with one in four respondents in their teens saying they had used it in the past. The figure for people in their 20s was lower, at 15%, but still above the average for all respondents.

People most commonly cited the increased freedom in the learning process, making it easier to ask questions, as the reason they preferred to use AI. Other popular reasons included the fact that tools are available 24 hours a day and that using them is less embarrassing compared to having to converse with a person in real life.

On the other hand, some respondents raised concerns about learning a language through AI, such as a lack of engaging interaction, the flatness of responses and uncertainty over the accuracy of the content.

of the 2024 Duolingo Language Report found that Japanese people were the most eager to study, ranking first in the world for the highest average time that people spent learning a language and up from second place last year. Meanwhile, Japanese was the fifth most popular language to study on the app worldwide.

Although English remains the most popular language in the country for people to study, a rise in the popularity of Korean was notable, especially among younger generations. Of the people studying languages in their teens and 20s, around 30% were studying Korean.

This is most likely due to the popularity of K-pop, Korean dramas and Korean culture in general, with an increasing number of people looking to learn the language so they can understand the words of artists and celebrities that they support.