Youdao996 Archives the educational subsidiary of NetEase, teased an AI-driven private English tutor named Echo on Wednesday, in a further step applying AI capabilities to help tailor education. Echo, powered by the company’s large language model Ziyue which was released in July, is designed to offer personalized “spoken English with an American accent.” The avatar tutor currently covers 68 topics spanning eight dialog scenarios, allowing users to talk about careers, social issues, food, and travel-related topics with Echo, the company said on its official WeChat account. Users are also encouraged to engage in open conversation and receive suggestions on pronunciation and grammar while practicing with Echo through either the WeChat mini-program or the program’s independent app. [NetEase Youdao, in Chinese]