“Tell me Robert”: for its 60th anniversary, the famous dictionary integrates artificial intelligence
The Le Robert dictionary is launching an AI-based assistant, “Tell me Robert”, to answer all questions about the French language, an unprecedented initiative in France, announced the publishing house on Tuesday. What is the definition of “agrivoltaism”? How do you spell “tintamarre”? What is the plural of “carnival”? How do you say “spoiler” in French? These are the types of questions that can be asked to “Tell me Robert”, accessible on the dictionary’s website.
“This is a new way to explore French by adapting to usage, particularly of the younger generation,” explains Géraldine Moinard, director of the dictionary department at Le Robert, to AFP. To ensure its reliability, the conversational agent “only draws on our data, meaning the information available on ‘Dico en ligne Le Robert’ and always properly sourced,” specifies Charles Bimbenet, the director of Le Robert. “It is neutral and transparent. It will say if it cannot find an answer to a question,” he adds.
The launch of this new tool, which already exists for dictionaries in the United States and the United Kingdom, comes as Le Petit Robert, the iconic dictionary of the publishing house, celebrates its 60th anniversary with its 2027 edition, available in bookstores and online on Thursday. It includes 65,000 words, 350,000 definitions and examples, as well as 35,000 citations.
