Duolingo CEO pushed AI at work, now says he doesn't see it replacing human employees
After facing a wave of backlash over its recent AI-focused plans, Duolingo has made a noticeable U-turn. The company's CEO and co-founder, Luis von Ahn, now says that Artificial Intelligence (AI) won't be replacing human employees at the language-learning platform. Instead, he sees AI as a tool to support and improve the work already being done by their teams.In a LinkedIn post shared on Thursday, von Ahn clarified that Duolingo is still hiring at the same pace and is committed to helping employees adapt to new technologies. "The sooner we learn how to use it, and use it responsibly, the better off we will be in the long run," he said, adding that the company is creating workshops and offering dedicated time for experimentation so that everyone has the chance to understand and work with AI tools effectively.advertisementThis comes just days after Duolingo received criticism for appearing to lean too heavily on AI. The company had earlier indicated plans to cut back on human contractors for roles that AI could manage, and hinted that future hiring would depend on whether a task could be automated. That message, especially when paired with von Ahn's comments in a podcast about AI outperforming human teachers, didn't sit well with many users.
The company's social media pages saw a flood of negative comments. On TikTok and Instagram, followers called out the growing presence of AI in the company's operations, with some even jokingly asking if real people were still running the app. In response, Duolingo posted a light-hearted video featuring von Ahn himself, trying to assure users that AI would help the platform grow, not replace its people.advertisementA spokesperson for Duolingo also told Fortune that the company is not stepping back from hiring and that all AI-generated content is reviewed by learning experts. The company stressed that it maintains high standards to ensure all lessons remain accurate, safe, and in line with international language learning guidelines.Duolingo isn't the only tech company stepping back after making bold claims about AI. Klarna, a fintech app, had to revise its strategy last month after its chatbot failed to deliver the quality it promised. Shopify too came under fire for suggesting that AI-powered tools could make human hiring less necessary.Recent research also shows that AI may not be delivering the big productivity gains some had expected. A study from the National Bureau of Economic Research, which tracked 25,000 workers in industries influenced by AI, found little to no improvement in earnings or efficiency.
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