Luis von Ahn: Massive-scale online collaboration

http://www.ted.com After re-purposing CAPTCHA so each human-typed response helps digitize books, Luis von Ahn wondered how else to use small contributions by many on the Internet for greater good. At TEDxCMU, he shares how his ambitious new project, Duolingo, will help millions learn a new language while translating the Web quickly and accurately -- all for free.

TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Featured speakers have included Al Gore on climate change, Philippe Starck on design, Jill Bolte Taylor on observing her own stroke, Nicholas Negroponte on One Laptop per Child, Jane Goodall on chimpanzees, Bill Gates on malaria and mosquitoes, Pattie Maes on the "Sixth Sense" wearable tech, and "Lost" producer JJ Abrams on the allure of mystery. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, and TEDTalks cover these topics as well as science, business, development and the arts. Closed captions and translated subtitles in a variety of languages are now available on TED.com, at http://www.ted.com/translate

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Luis von Ahn
• CAPTCHA
• crowdsourcing
• Duolingo
• TEDxCMU
• translation
• books
• digitization
• Collaboration
• Computers
• Internet
• Language
• Technology
• TED
• TEDTalks
• TEDx

[superdiza]

This guy has found a way to digitize 1.5 million books a year, without cost.

Genius.

[PressXtonotdie]

And then 4chan figured out which word it knew and which it didn't, and so every book started to contain the word nigger at random spots. Ah internet.

[Jamesbaby286]

@christopheclugston

He probably gets paid a ton from all the sites that use the CAPTCHA device... I can not think of a site I have every had to register to that didn't include one of them. I am sure they are required to pay a small licensing fee.

[satisfiedification]

impressive.. keep up the good work..

[LPhase9]

Beautiful idea

[christopheclugston]

@superdiza Actually he's getting paid for it--he isn't paying the people who do it.

[christopheclugston]

He can talk all he wants about how it is free while he is eliminating the income of translators. That was his motivation: he wants to make money off of the labor of others who he doesn't pay. Great, he just avoids employing professionals. So more people who have spend post graduate years to acquire a skill are now equal to a coffee shop service employee.

[5UP3R470R]

Why don't recheck the hole thing by people, who speak e.g. german (like me) and want to improve there english?!

[download333]

I just checked out the Duolingo thing he mentioned. Not to overblow this or anything, but THIS WILL CHANGE THE WHOLE DAMN WORLD!

[roidroid]

@akshayzz1 i do not understand. go on pls?

[akshayzz1]

@roidroid or saving 260 people every year?

[serialcomplexity]

why dont they make a website where people can work on nothing but Captcha inputs?