Chatterbox speaks the language of reluctant learners: games featuring global cast of AI tutors

Startland News’ Startup Road Trip series explores innovative and uncommon ideas finding success in rural America and Midwestern startup hubs outside the Kansas City metro. 

WICHITA — A Kansas-built language-learning app takes a gamified approach to fluency — inspired by travel and the simple joys of players feel when competing in traditional board games, said Grant Johnson, the young world traveler-turned-founder of Chatterbox Studios.

With Johnson’s AI-infused Chatterbox app, users navigate a virtual world map, facing interactive challenges that simulate real-life conversations.

“The world is your map, and you’re traveling around to different countries, having to complete levels inside each city,” the former Wichita State University student said. “For example, I learned how to buy and sell things by playing Monopoly in Spanish. We’re building that into Chatterbox with things like playing Scrabble with friends in your target language.”

Unlike traditional language apps that take a rigid, step-by-step approach, Chatterbox tailors the experience to each user’s goals and interests, explained Johnson, a former junior software engineer for Tesseract Ventures who now works at Invista in Wichita.

“We really personalize it to the way that you learn a language,” he said. “Your course will look completely different from somebody else’s based on what you’re interested in learning.”

As the platform evolves, Johnson and his team are developing more interactive elements to enhance the user experience, including AI avatars that adapt to each learner’s skill level.

“This is extremely beneficial because you can talk to someone fluent in the language who adjusts to your level and gives you feedback,” he said. “We have Frida Kahlo from Mexico and Pablo Picasso from Spain as AI tutors who guide you through the process.”

Click here to find Chatterbox in the Apple app store or here for the Google Play store.

Sticking the translation

Johnson knows firsthand the frustrations of learning a new language through conventional methods. His journey began in high school with Spanish classes that didn’t quite stick, until he discovered the power of real-world practice.

“I really didn’t learn a lot from high school classes — mainly because I started from a place where I wasn’t necessarily wanting to learn,” said Johnson. “But after traveling a little bit, I decided that it’d be very, very fun to be able to learn a language and communicate with people.”

That realization led him to create Spanish Night, a weekly gathering at Wichita State that brought together exchange students and language learners. What began as a social experiment with 60 participants from 10 different countries quickly evolved into a structured, engaging way to learn through games and conversation.

After 10 months of hosting Spanish Night, Johnson earned certification as a bilingual speaker, and fell in love with the process. 

“People spend so much time trying to learn languages on apps, and they’re not really progressing,” he said. “So I thought, ‘What if we can encapsulate the special part of Spanish Night, being able to practice in real-world situations, and we made it an application?’”

That idea became Chatterbox: a tech solution to break down barriers and make fluency accessible to all.

Grant Johnson, center, with the Chatterbox team; courtesy photo

Expanding access

Currently in its beta phase, Chatterbox offers Spanish for English speakers, with plans to expand to five additional languages by April. The app is designed to scale rapidly, allowing users to learn in any language pair without needing English as an intermediary.

“You’ll be able to directly learn Japanese from German, for example,” Johnson said.

The app follows a freemium model, ensuring accessibility for users who may not have the financial means for private lessons, he said.

“Our goal is to have a free way for people to learn a language entirely inside of an application,” Johnson said. “People who can’t afford private schooling or tutors will still have the opportunity to learn.”

As Chatterbox continues to develop, Johnson remains focused on its impact.

“I think the most rewarding part will be when people who need to learn English or another language, who can’t afford traditional education, can use Chatterbox to improve their lives and careers,” he said.