SwiftChat collaborates with Google to launch speech-based reading tool

This bot on SwiftChat will help early learners in the age group of 5-11 years to learn reading independently using their voice.

The Read Along bot will support over 700 illustrated stories in English and seven Indian languages: Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali and Urdu.

It will take the learners through a customised reading journey, and they will receive feedback and assistance from Diya–Read Along’s inbuilt reading assistant.

The bot allows learners to improve their reading skills at their own pace by adjusting the difficulty levels based on their reading ability.

The launch aligns with the Ministry of Education’s NIPUN Bharat initiative (National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy), which aims to ensure that every child in India attains their foundational literacy and numeracy outcomes by 2026-27.

Shedding light on his company's mission, SwiftChat's Chief Product Officer Shikhar Gupta said, “SwiftChat’s mission is to bridge the gap between technology and people by delivering simple and meaningful solutions on a large scale. We want students to learn to love reading, and believe this partnership is a wonderful step in that direction."

Read Along uses Google's speech recognition technology to help develop reading skills and was first launched in India as Bolo.

The tool is available as an Android app and as a website.