Want to learn American Sign Language? AI will teach you now – here's how

Have you ever wanted to learn sign language to communicate with family members, friends, or other people who are deaf? If so, you might want to try a new interactive website that uses AI to train you on American Sign Language (ASL). Known as Signs, the site shows you how to sign and then uses the camera on your PC or mobile device to make sure you’re shaping your hand and fingers correctly.

How does Signs work? Assuming you’re brand new to ASL, head to the Signs website. After getting past the initial screen, choose the option to Learn ASL and start the tutorial. Make sure your camera is activated and adjusted properly and that you have enough space to sign.

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An online 3D avatar then shows you how to sign your first word, namely Hello. With your own face and hand visible on the screen, follow the avatar’s gestures to sign the word. The training then moves on to a couple of other words and phrases, including Thank you and Who.

After completing the tutorial, you can choose the level you want to tackle. The higher the level, the more complex the words you’ll be asked to sign. If you’re a beginner, you might want to start with the first level. If you already know some ASL, you may consider jumping ahead to one of the higher levels.

As the avatar shows you the signs, it also calmly and patiently describes how your hand and fingers should move. Each time you replicate a sign correctly, a ding sounds off to indicate that you’re catching on. You’re also awarded a certain number of points to keep track of your progress.

You can keep going all the way until you complete level four, thereby providing you with a good foundation. You may also want to repeat the training for each level until you become skilled enough that you no longer need the lessons.

How did Signs get started?

The website is a decidedly team effort. NVIDIA developed the open ASL database in collaboration with the American Society for Deaf Children. New York-based creative studio Hello Monday/DEPT, which designed a similar site called Fingerspelling, built the Signs platform to use AI to help people learn interactively.

The site is open to different kinds of participants. Those who want to learn ASL can take advantage of the interactive training. Those already familiar with signing can contribute their own videos to expand the number of words and signs accessible in the site’s database. But even people just getting started with ASL can upload videos of their signs to enhance the collection.

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Each submitted video is verified by Deaf individuals and certified interpreters to make sure the hand and finger movements and positions are accurate. Though people think of sign language as using just your hand and fingers, facial expressions and head movements also play a role in communicating with the Deaf community. Toward that end, the developers are thinking of ways to incorporate face tracking and other motion-capture methods.

“NVIDIA and Hello Monday/DEPT believe everyone has the right to expression,” the website says on its About page. “At the same time, NVIDIA and Hello Monday/DEPT recognize that some communities lack equitable access to means of expression. We created this platform primarily to help teach hearing parents that may not know how to sign, connect and communicate with Deaf children and family members. We see this as an opportunity to use AI for Good, to teach and engage the Deaf community meaningfully.”