Data Science Conversations

At LanguageTool, Bartmoss St Clair (Head of AI) is pioneering the use of Large Language Models (LLMs) for grammatical error correction (GEC), moving away from the tool's initial non-AI approach to create a system capable of catching and correcting errors across multiple languages.

LanguageTool supports over 30 languages, has several million users, and over 4 million installations of its browser add-on, benefiting from a diverse team of employees from around the world.

Episode Summary -

1. LanguageTool decided against using existing LLMs like GPT-3 or GPT-4 due to cost, speed, and accuracy benefits of developing their own models, focusing on creating a balance between performance, speed, and cost.
2. The tool is designed to work with low latency for real-time applications, catering to a wide range of users including academics and businesses, with the aim to balance accurate grammar correction without being intrusive.
3. Bartmoss discussed the nuanced approach to grammar correction, acknowledging that language evolves and user preferences may vary, necessitating a balance between strict grammatical rules and user acceptability.
4. The company employs a mix of decoder and encoder-decoder models depending on the task, with a focus on contextual understanding and the challenges of maintaining the original meaning of text while correcting grammar.
5. A hybrid system that combines rule-based algorithms with machine learning is used to provide nuanced grammar corrections and explanations for the corrections, enhancing user understanding and trust.
6. LanguageTool is developing a generalized GEC system, incorporating legacy rules and machine learning for comprehensive error correction across various types of text.
7. Training models involve a mix of user data, expert-annotated data, and synthetic data, aiming to reflect real user error patterns for effective correction.
8. The company has built tools to benchmark GEC tasks, focusing on precision, recall, and user feedback to guide quality improvements.
9. Introduction of LLMs has expanded LanguageTool's capabilities, including rewriting and rephrasing, and improved error detection beyond simple grammatical rules.
10. Despite the higher costs associated with LLMs and hosting infrastructure, the investment is seen as worthwhile for improving user experience and conversion rates for premium products.
11. Bartmoss speculates on the future impact of LLMs on language evolution, noting their current influence and the importance of adapting to changes in language use over time.
12. LanguageTool prioritizes privacy and data security, avoiding external APIs for grammatical error correction and developing their systems in-house with open-source models.