About a month ago, Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn declared that the company was going to shift to an “AI-first” approach. As part of the change, Duolingo would prioritise hiring employees who are proficient in AI use and eventually phase out contract workers in favour of using AI instead.
To no one’s surprise, this declaration was met with backlash from both Duolingo users and the general public. The company attempted to address the issue in a humorous manner on its Instagram account, but it is clear that people are not impressed, with users commenting to express their displeasure with Duolingo’s AI-forward stance.
The company CEO also took to LinkedIn to clarify that he does not view AI as a replacement for the company’s employees, but as a tool for accelerating what the workers are already doing. In the statement, he also claimed that the company is still hiring workers at the same speed as before. Moreover, he explained that his goal was for the employees to feel empowered and prepared to use AI.
It is doubtful that this statement is anything but mere lip service, as it does not seem like Duolingo will stop using AI anytime soon. And regardless of what von Ahn claims, Duolingo has already laid off workers due to the technology. In January 2024, the company fired about 10% of its contract workers, claiming that it no longer needed as many people.
(Source: Techspot)
