Duolingo CEO Clarifies AI Strategy Amid Employee Concerns
When Duolingo’s CEO and Co-Founder Luis von Ahn announced the language-learning platform’s ‘AI-first’ strategy with a memo in late April, he sparked frenzied concerns among his staff.
Duolingo’s team feared that, by prioritising the rollout of AI, the jobs of many of the company’s content creators would be at severe risk.
“AI is already changing how work gets done. It’s not a question of if or when. It’s happening now," Luis wrote in his original statement.
“When there’s a shift this big, the worst thing you can do is wait.
“In 2012, we bet on mobile. While others were focused on mobile companion apps for websites, we decided to build mobile-first because we saw it was the future.
“Betting on mobile made all the difference. We’re making a similar call now and this time the platform shift is AI.”
In his statement, Luis insinuates that, in many ways, Duolingo’s pivot would have to be fundamental, akin to “starting from scratch”.
Duolingo’s follow-up statement
In an effort to put the fears of his workforce to rest, Luis has released a follow-up statement, acknowledging there was a lack of clarity in his initial communication.
In his clarifying statement, the Duolingo CEO says: “One of the most important things leaders can do is provide clarity. When I released my AI memo a few weeks ago, I didn't do that well.
“I don’t know exactly what’s going to happen with AI, but I do know it’s going to fundamentally change the way we work — and we have to get ahead of it.
“By understanding the capabilities and limitations of AI now, we can stay ahead of it and remain in control of our own product and our mission.
“To be clear: I do not see AI as replacing what our employees do, we are in fact continuing to hire at the same speed as before.
“I see it as a tool to accelerate what we do, at the same or better level of quality.”
The CEO emphasises that AI should be viewed as an enhancement tool rather than a replacement for human workers.
However, some of the company’s previous actions suggest that Duolingo has a more complex relationship with human labour than these reassurances suggest.
In January 2024, Duolingo reduced its contracted translator workforce by 10%, explicitly citing the replacement of human translation with Gen AI capabilities.
How does Duolingo plan to use AI?
Duolingo is currently undergoing the largest expansion in its 14-year history.
The platform has more than doubled its course offerings, adding 148 new language combinations in recent months.
“It used to take a small team years to build a single new course from scratch,” says Jessie Becker, Duolingo’s Senior Director of Learning Design.
“Now, by using Gen AI to create and validate content, we’re able to focus our expertise where it’s most impactful.”
Clearly, AI is helping the language-learning app to increase its efficiency. The same can be said for Duolingo’s competitors too, which could be one reason why Luis is so firm on the advantages of AI.
Google’s experimental Little Language Lessons, for instance, use Gemini AI models to create contextually relevant language instruction for learners.
Eventually, it is anticipated that the technology will be completely agentic.
“My goal is for [Duolingo’s staff] to feel empowered and prepared to use this technology. No one is expected to navigate this shift alone,” Luis says.
“We’re developing workshops and advisory councils and carving out dedicated experimentation time to help all our teams learn and adapt.
“People work at Duolingo because they want to solve big problems to improve education and the people who work here are what make Duolingo successful.
“Our mission isn’t changing, but the tools we use to build new things will change.”
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