Latest news with #LuisvonAhn
Forbes
3 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
How Gen Z Can Enter the Job Market as AI Disrupts Entry-Level Jobs
Is AI taking entry-level jobs away from Gen Z? It definitely is disrupting the norm. Over 30% of workers across generations already worry that AI will take their jobs. And according to Aneesh Raman, LinkedIn's chief economic opportunity officer, they have every reason to be concerned. In a recent New York Times op-ed, Raman discussed the impact of AI on entry-level positions and compared this disruption to the decline of manufacturing in the 1980s. He went so far as to suggest that the corporate ladder, in general, was broken, especially the first rung for entry-level positions. It's no surprise that so many within Gen Z feel hopeless about their job prospects out of college. According to a recent report by the World Economic Forum, 40% of employees are cutting staff and utilizing AI for task automation. And when it comes to the hiring process, 21% of companies are automatically rejecting candidates at all stages without any form of human evaluation or interaction. Luis von Ahn, co-founder and CEO of Duolingo, isn't the only one making an AI-first company. According to The SignalFire State of Talent Report, large tech companies are cutting back 25% on hiring, 50% less than pre-pandemic levels. In short: the demand for entry-level positions is nose-diving to the ground at record speed. So, if you're part of the Gen Z generation, how can you stand out? Here are five practical ways you can adapt, succeed, and compete in an AI-driven workforce. Yes, this technology can feel like a foe, especially after getting your one-hundredth rejection letter. However, you have a superpower and an edge over your older counterparts. Unlike previous generations, technology, specifically AI, comes naturally to you. You don't have to think about how to log into ChatGPT or look up how to create a prompt. And that's what makes you stand out. Your ease of use regarding technology is why companies want you on their team. If you can write code with a single command or craft an entire novel using AI, don't hesitate to showcase your talents. Put your skills in front of your ideal employers and let them see what you're capable of. That can comes in the form of presenting your skills on TikTok, showcasing your AI expertise on a podcast, or writing tutorials for a blog. Artificial intelligence remains, at its core, a tool. So, when companies can see how you master this tool, it sets you apart and makes you stand out above your competition. As I stated above, AI is just a tool. It's like a plane. You still need a skilled pilot to fly. Otherwise, you have a machine without purpose. Invest the time to leverage AI as a skill. Take classes online, get certified by a nearby university, and figure out how to take your AI game to the next level. Because when you're given a trial run to show companies what you can do with this technology, you want to be able to present your skills from a professional position. This means, investing time and money into building an AI background that makes your CV shine. Finding a job today is no small feat, especially with 69% of HR departments relying on AI for candidate assessments. That's why thinking outside the box and investing in AI education shows potential companies that you're serious about learning the skills you need to build up their business and increase their bottom line. Over 75% of companies worldwide want to integrate AI into their everyday operations. However, according to Gartner, they penalize potential candidates for using the same technology to pad their resumes and revise their cover letters. Now, is this fair? Maybe. Maybe not. The point is, it's the reality, and Gen Z needs to figure out how to color within the lines while still displaying their AI prowess. That's why networking and connecting with companies outside their Indeed inbox is really the way to go. In-person events can absolutely be your golden ticket, and here's why: It's no secret that AI isn't making it easy to attain entry-level positions, but nothing in life is easy. When employers see that you can face adversity and be unfazed, they'll see your value. After all, how many people can pivot well and see challenges as opportunities? Not many. But, I will say that when I asked Keith Kakadia and Trevor Koverko their thoughts about Gen Z, entry-level jobs, and AI, they were more than optimistic. Kakadia, founder and CEO of Sociallyin, suggested, 'AI isn't replacing entry-level roles—it's redefining what 'entry-level' even means.' Koverko, co-founder of Sapien, saw it from that perspective as well. He believed that 'The future of technology lies in AI, but it will not replace people. It will give them the tools they need to push their skills further than ever.' Is their optimism justified? It's hard to say. However, one thing is sure: adopting a glass-half-full perspective allows you to transform obstacles into stepping stones. When employers witness your ability to be innovative and adaptable, that skill set will make you memorable. Logan Currie, founder, and COO of Careerspan, uncovered a surprising truth after interviewing over 40 recent hires: nearly all had landed their jobs through relationships rather than traditional resumes. Reflecting on this, Currie remarked, 'The most valuable job search tool today isn't AI. It's the ability to have genuine conversations that showcase your potential.' Again, this is why stepping outside the box and presenting who you are to your intended audience is so essential. Building strong connections allows you to stand out while demonstrating your ability to communicate effectively and operate with empathy to potential employers. So, instead of sending that fifth follow-up email to an AI bot, it might be time to reach out to your real-life contacts and find new ways of putting your name out there. It's a small world, and you have many people who know others. If you want to get your dream job, it might be time to think outside the traditional and go straight to the creative. Because in the words of Gigi Robinson, Gen Z founder, author, and CEO of Its Gigi LLC., 'You are more than just your credentials. You're builders, storytellers, and multi-hyphenates. The question is: Will hiring tech evolve to recognize that?" Hiring tech might be blinded by AI at the moment, but there are still plenty of ways to make your mark and gain that entry-level role. It just takes time, a little bit of creativity, and networking.
India Today
6 days ago
- Business
- India Today
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 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 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 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 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 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.
NDTV
6 days ago
- Business
- NDTV
After Backlash, Duolingo CEO Backtracks On AI Push: "Don't See It Replacing..."
Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn has seemingly backtracked on his comments about artificial intelligence (AI) gradually replacing the contract workers at his company after facing extreme backlash. Mr Von Ahn said the language-learning platform will continue to hire human workers and support the existing employees. As per the Duolingo boss, his previous statement had not gone down well, which prompted him to follow it up internally with the employees and issue another clarifying statement. "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)," Mr Von Ahn wrote in a LinkedIn post. "I see it as a tool to accelerate what we do, at the same or better level of quality. And the sooner we learn how to use it, and use it responsibly, the better off we will be in the long run." Mr Von Ahn said he did not exactly know "what's going to happen with AI", but added that it was fundamentally going to change how humans work. "No one is expected to navigate this shift alone. We're developing workshops and advisory councils, and carving out dedicated experimentation time to help all our teams learn and adapt." What did Duolingo CEO claim? In an all-hands memo, Mr Von Ahn announced that Duolingo will be pivoting to an "AI-first" approach to scale its business. He justified the switch in approach, stating the company had taken a similar call in 2012 by betting big on mobile. "I've said this in Q&As and many meetings, but I want to make it official: Duolingo is going to be Al-first. Al is already changing how work gets done. It's not a question of if or when. It's happening now," he said. Apart from not using contractors anymore, Mr Von Ahn said Duolingo will use AI to evaluate performance reviews. Additionally, headcounts will only be given if a team cannot automate more of their work. "AI isn't just a productivity boost. It helps us get closer to our mission. To teach well, we need to create a massive amount of content, and doing that manually doesn't scale." As his post went viral, social media users slammed him for greed and taking away real jobs.
Telegraph
25-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
I learnt Spanish on an app – then put it to the ultimate test in rural Central America
When Guatemalan-born entrepreneur Luis von Ahn created Duolingo back in 2009, I wonder whether he could ever have imagined that, 15 years later, it would be a $748m (£560m) business. It's now used by 103 million people around the world, one of a raft of similar app-based tools – amongst them Babbel, Memrise and Clozemaster – which mix artificial intelligence and 'gameification' to help users learn a new language. It's this gamification element, in particular, which has helped make the apps popular – an approach inspired by the world of video gaming which aims to keep users engaged, stoking competition and rewarding them for completing 'levels' of study. In the case of Duolingo, this includes being able to compete against friends and family, and earning rewards for hitting 'streaks' (using the app daily throughout the week). It is, as I discovered, surprisingly addictive. At school, I had opted to study French and German – but, as I got older, I often found myself wishing I had learnt Spanish, with its sensuous rolling consonants and global reach (around 600 million people on Earth speak Spanish, compared to just 321 million French speakers, and 130 million German). So, earlier this year, I decided to take action. I downloaded Duolingo, and started learning from the absolute beginning (its go-to first phrase is, for some reason, ' me como la manzana ', meaning 'I eat the apple'). I felt myself improving quickly but, the more I used the app, the more I wondered how much of a replacement these tools were for real world immersion and local interaction. Was AI-learning alone enough for me to get by in a place where little or no English was spoken? Would it give me the confidence I needed to at least have a try? There was only one way to find out: I booked a trip to Guatemala – somewhere, I reasoned, that Mr von Ahn would approve of. My partner Tim and I crossed the border from Belize – the only English-speaking country in Latin America – just as I hit my 130-day streak on Duolingo (Tim was on a lowly 50). Feeling particularly smug, and driven by the rush of adrenaline-fuelled self-belief which accompanied the batch of 'gems' with which the app rewarded my efforts, I decided we should throw ourselves in the deep end and head straight for a rural community called Carmelita. Located in northern Guatemala, the tiny village is the jumping off point for a hardcore trek that cuts right through the heart of the Mayan jungle to a 3,000-year-old Mayan city called El Mirador. None of its residents, we were assured, spoke English. It was a long and bumpy drive to the village in a rattly 4x4 with no suspension, and my attempt at conversation with the driver fell flat. ' ¿Cómo estás? ' I offered – but was immediately lost by his fast-paced and lengthy reply. I nodded and smiled, but we spent the rest of the journey in silence. Off to a good start. Before exploring the area surrounding Carmelita, we stopped for a typical local breakfast of scrambled eggs, refried beans, plantain and freshly cooked tortillas (sadly, no manzanas). I was determined to compliment the plate of food I'd just enjoyed. ' ¡Esto es muy bueno! ' I said with a big thumbs up, which was greeted with smiles from the two women who had cooked it. One asked me where I was from and to my surprise, I understood what she was saying. A simple but flowing exchange of words ensued. Progress! Later that day, I was able to meet some of the members of the Carmelita community, including Santiago, who worked as a guide in the area. A keen birder, he pointed out the rich wildlife as we spoke in broken Spanish and got to know one another. I learned he had a family and had been trekking in the area (known as the Maya Biosphere Reserve) since he was a boy. I could feel my confidence growing – that critical ingredient to learning a new language, and one I had been lacking. The fear of getting something wrong had often plagued my progress with languages as a child, and I still carried that with me. I'd often stumble over my words, doubting everything I knew and inevitably would fall silent in the simplest of exchanges. A few days later, we travelled to the beautiful lakeside town of Flores before catching a flight over to central Guatemala, famous for its volcanoes and historic colonial towns like Antigua. Walking around Flores' pretty cobbled streets, I noticed I was picking up bits of language around me. Signs, bus announcements, the odd word spoken between people on the street. Like a jigsaw puzzle coming together, it was opening up parts of the country that would otherwise have passed me by. I felt less like a stranger despite having never been there before. I was, however, also starting to discover the shortcomings of digital language learning. The app progresses you in stages and, as I'd not yet reached the past or future tense levels, I was still expressing everything in the present. This, of course, presented a problem – there are only so many times you can tell someone: 'I go here. I eat apple. I very fluent now.' So, Tim and I decided to enrol in classes at Ixchel Spanish school in Antigua. We opted for four hours of face-to-face teaching every day for a week, and were also given individual tutoring – intense, to say the least. My teacher, Irma de Guerra, wasted no time. Almost immediately, new phrases were flying – ' Dónde está … yo no sé … pido el menu …'. By the end of my first session, we were even covering vocabulary for bits of cutlery. As soon as the clock struck 5pm, Tim and I would bolt out the door and straight into a nearby bar, where we rewarded a hard day's learning with frosty cervezas (preferable to digital gemstones at any rate). By the end of the week, I was able to have conversations of surprising depth with Irma. We touched on music preference, men, and the best dishes in town (restaurant Rinconcito Antigueno's sublime wood-fired chicken and potatoes). We were even able to delve into the rather sombre topic of the rapid passing of time. To the amusement of my teacher, I relied a great deal on my miming abilities to get my point across – but nevertheless, it was a far more profound interaction than I'd have been capable of a week earlier. And this, I think, is the point. Language learning apps are a great way to establish the basics – but when it comes to learning a new tongue, there is no substitute for the trial and error of lively conversation. After my time with Irma, I was able to put my new skills to good use while exploring Central America more widely; thanks to her individual encouragement and gentle correction during our talks, I was no longer embarrassed about getting something wrong, and found that locals far preferred me to have a go than not try at all. As I travelled, I continued to converse as much as possible, and with each conversation, my abilities grew, and so did my understanding of each place I visited. Better yet, I didn't have to worry about losing my perfect streak. Essentials Journey Latin America (020 3936 0711) offers a 12-day Signature Guatemala trip from £2,620 per person, with stops in Antigua and the highlands, Lake Atitlán and its villages, and the Mayan archaeological site, Tikal. Finnair flies from London Heathrow to Guatemala City from £850 return. Pensativo House Hotel (00502 7955 5353) in Antigua has doubles from £140 per night, including breakfast.
CBC
22-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Duolingo's CEO says AI will soon replace teachers. But ... should it?
Social Sharing Will AI soon teach a generation of kids to read, do long division, and that cooties aren't real, but germs are, so to stop wiping boogers under their desks? Luis von Ahn, founder and CEO of language-learning app Duolingo, seems to think so. Von Ahn has been stirring up a lot of controversy recently with his company's new AI-first strategy. Now, he's facing backlash over statements he made on the No Priors podcast earlier this month suggesting that AI is a better teacher than humans due to its ability to personalize learning. He added that we'll likely soon see AI take over teachers in classrooms — maybe even in the next few years. "Ultimately, I'm not sure that there's anything computers can't really teach you," von Ahn said on the May 8 episode of the podcast. "I think you'll just see a lot better learning outcomes, in general," he added, while explaining that "it's just a lot more scalable to teach with AI than with teachers." Von Ahn's comments come not long after Duolingo announced it was replacing its contract employees with AI, part of its AI-first strategy that includes using generative AI to build and launch 148 new courses. The company's announcements have not gone down well with many of the app's users, who have flooded Duolingo's social media accounts with comments decrying the decision or claiming to delete the app. Over the weekend, amid the backlash, Duolingo deleted all of its posts on Instagram and TikTok, where it had garnered millions of followers. On Tuesday, the company posted a video on both platforms where someone in an owl mask with three eyes rants about how "everything came crashing down with one single post about AI." And around the same time as all this, the media picked up on von Ahn's earlier interview on No Priors, where he clarified that teachers and schools still have a role to play: childcare. "That doesn't mean the teachers are going to go away, you still need people to take care of the students," he said. WATCH | Please don't rely on AI for safety information, says B.C. organization: B.C.'s outdoor safety organizations warn hikers not to rely on AI for information 1 day ago Duration 2:02 A marketing statement? Matthew Guzdial, an assistant computing science professor at the University of Alberta, says it's important to reframe von Ahn's claims as a marketing statement for Duolingo, and not an informed opinion on education. "He's wanting to project strength and project that this is the way his company is doing it; this is the way everyone will be doing it going forward," Guzdial told CBC News. For instance, Duolingo's website links to several peer-reviewed studies on the app's efficacy, including its use of generative AI, funded by the company. But a 2021 meta-analysis of some of its earlier studies, published in the journal Computer Assisted Language Learning, found that "although most studies report a positive impact of Duolingo on various language competencies, the accuracy of their results is rather debatable." Most of the sample sizes in the studies that assessed achievement, for instance, ranged from one to 44. And most failed to consider potential confounding variables, such as motivation and demographics such as gender and ethnicity, the authors noted. "In other words, eight years after the start of research on Duolingo, we still have very little conclusive evidence about its effectiveness and role in the language learning process," the study concluded. And while one of the Duolingo-funded studies from 2025 did purport to show that self-efficacy increased in language-learning when subjects used AI features of the app, the authors also noted there was no control group, and that all six of the authors were employed by the company. WATCH | AI guidelines in the classroom: AI guidelines created for Halifax-area classrooms 20 days ago Duration 1:50 Is AI a better teacher? While AI can and has been used very effectively in education, Guzdial says there's no evidence that it can teach people better than a human can. "There's basically no support for that claim," he said. It depends on the type of AI, but if, for instance, a person is using a large language model like ChatGPT to look up answers to queries, no actual learning or internalization has happened, Guzdial said. The point of learning is not just to find the answers, but to understand them and build that mental muscle, he added. "If you go to the gym to lift weights, it wouldn't be helpful if you brought a bulldozer to lift the weights for you. And that's sort of what ChatGPT is," he said. Multiple studies and case studies have highlighted specific, positive uses of AI in learning — such as in generating teaching videos, helping clarify explanations, and predicting final grades to identify students who need additional support. But, as an expansive 2023 literature review points out, AI can enhance learning, but can't fully replace human judgment and expertise. In addition, a 2024 study found no direct effect between a student's AI usage and reported grade average, but did find an indirect effect that those students who said they were more socially supported by humans than AI had higher grade performance. Even ChatGPT acknowledges its own shortcomings. When CBC News posed it the question, "Is AI a better teacher than human teachers?" the chatbot answered that AI is better used in addition to teachers, and not as a replacement. "AI can enhance teaching by taking over routine tasks, offering targeted support, and freeing up human educators to focus on what they do best—inspiring, mentoring, and connecting with students," the model said. AI taking over jobs In his comments on the No Priors podcast, von Ahn argued that a computer can give individualized attention to each student in a class, whereas a teacher can't. "And really, the computer can actually … have very precise knowledge about what you, what this one student is good at and bad at," he said. Duolingo's CFO Matt Skaruppa made similar comments last year, telling Morning Brew's After Earnings podcast that it's using AI to make its app as "effective as a human tutor." "AI helps us replicate what a good teacher does. A good teacher helps you learn material, stay engaged, know where your weaknesses are, where your gaps are, so that you can focus on those things and get better," he said. Von Ahn's comments come amid a new report that jobs traditionally done by women are more vulnerable to the impact of artificial intelligence than those done by men, especially in high-income countries. Teaching is an increasingly female-dominated profession. Meanwhile, a compelling argument against AI replacing journalists unfolded this week as the Chicago Sun-Times was roasted for printing a syndicated summer reading list where most of the books didn't actually exist. The list was generated by a freelancer who used AI.
