AFWERX SBIR/STTR-funded Language Platform Draws Defense, Intelligence Interest
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio — AFWERX research and development contracts are helping TutorWorks Inc. advance Mage Duel, an artificial intelligence-enabled language training platform recently demonstrated to more than 20 representatives from defense and intelligence organizations.
Designed to help military linguists develop and maintain their skills, Mage Duel combines immersive gameplay with conversational AI agents. The National Security Agency-facilitated engagement included a demonstration of the platform’s technology and an early Persian, also known as Farsi, implementation developed through AFWERX-funded efforts to identify customer needs.
AFWERX, a division of the Air Force Research Laboratory, connects small businesses with Department of the Air Force mission needs and awards contracts to develop technologies with potential military applications. It manages the department’s Small Business Innovation Research program, known as SBIR, and Small Business Technology Transfer program, known as STTR, helping move technologies from early research toward military use.
For cryptologic language analysts, understanding and interpreting foreign languages is central to the mission. Developing those skills requires extensive vocabulary practice, accurate translation and the ability to apply classroom learning to unfamiliar conversations. Maintaining proficiency requires continued practice throughout a linguist’s career.
Mage Duel makes language practice part of an interactive experience. Learners navigate a fantasy environment where casting spells, completing missions and interacting with characters require spoken and written communication in the language they are studying.
The platform combines four core gameplay activities: AI-driven encounters for understanding and producing language, vocabulary reinforcement activities called thread collection, duels that require translation and language output, and quests that bring those skills together. Players must recall vocabulary and use it in context to progress.
According to TutorWorks, generative AI tutors adjust dialogue difficulty, evaluate pronunciation and grammar in real time, and tailor scenario complexity to individual performance. These features are designed to help users rehearse demanding conversations in a controlled setting while reinforcing formal instruction.
Demonstration participants represented 16th Air Force, Headquarters Air Force A2/6, the 517th Training Group, NSA, the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, the Air National Guard, Army Military Intelligence and Headquarters Marine Corps.
The engagement identified potential applications in operational language training, intelligence organizations and preparation for deployment. AFWERX and TutorWorks are assessing customer demand and exploring potential pilot projects, transition partnerships and follow-on adoption.
TutorWorks received five Phase I and Phase II SBIR awards totaling approximately $2.45 million between 2020 and 2026. The awards, listed in the AFWERX portfolio, funded language learning, adaptive training and cognitive training technologies.
A March 2021 Phase II award provided approximately $750,000 to develop Mage Duel as a language acquisition tool. Phase II funds research and development, including efforts to build and demonstrate a proposed technology.
A separate 2023 Phase I effort explored generative AI for personalized content, adaptive comprehension questions and language prompts presented in context, using Mage Duel as the initial evaluation platform.
In June 2024, TutorWorks received approximately $1.5 million through a Tactical Funding Increase, or TACFI, award for continued Mage Duel development. TACFI provides additional Phase II funding to help mature technologies and strengthen the partnerships needed to move them toward military use.
Mage Duel also progressed into Phase III acquisition. Phase III funds work that builds on earlier SBIR efforts using money outside the program. It can include further development, purchases of products or services, and production.
A July 2022 Phase III contract provided approximately $750,000 for Mage Duel language software, with NSA/Central Security Service identified as the funding organization.
A March 2024 Phase III award for the 517th Training Group accumulated approximately $4 million in obligations, including funding added when an option was exercised in 2025. A separate 2026 follow-on purchase order added $121,420 for licenses and sustainment, with performance scheduled through Sept. 30, 2027.
TutorWorks is also exploring applications beyond language learning. A June 2026 Phase I award provided $74,989 for VANTAGE, a proposed training platform built on Mage Duel’s architecture. The effort combines modular content, AI agent interactions and game mechanics to explore training across additional Air Force mission areas.
Small businesses interested in developing technologies for Department of the Air Force mission needs can explore SBIR and STTR opportunities through the Defense SBIR/STTR Innovation Portal. Each solicitation outlines its technical requirements, eligibility criteria and submission deadlines.
*Disclaimer: References to non-federal entities do not constitute or imply Department of War or Air Force endorsement of any company or organization.