These days, AI isn’t just a buzzword, as it used to be a few years ago. Many tech companies around the globe are using AI to automate and replace human tasks. While the use of AI isn’t necessarily all about replacing workers, Duolingo appears to be taking a step in that direction.
Yesterday, Duolingo announced that it is going to be an “AI-first” company. Those unfamiliar with the term should know that the company will drop employees in favor of AI. Sharing a copy of an email as an official LinkedIn post, Duolingo’s CEO, Luis von Ahn, announced “the platform’s shift to AI.”
Ahn’s email mainly talks about how Duolingo will “gradually stop using contractors to do work that AI can handle.” The announcement follows the company’s decision from January last year. It then slashed 10 percent of its contractors because AI could easily do their tasks.
The CEO is aware that the Duolingo team will need to “create a massive amount of content, and doing that manually doesn’t scale.” Not to forget, the company recently replaced a slow, manual content creation process with an AI-powered one.
The company wants to use AI in different ways
Besides the mention of replacing contract workers, the email discusses different ways the company would use AI. The technology will play a key role in Duolingo’s hiring process, evaluating performance reviews, and more.
Finally, the CEO notes, “Duolingo will remain a company that cares deeply about its employees,” and assured that it isn’t about replacing Duos with AI. Duolingo, which is a popular language learning learning app, might soon have a direct rival. It’s none other than Google. The Mountain View giant is reportedly working to make Google Translate teach you new languages.
