Duolingo Replaces Human Workers with AI Technology

According to an all-hands email from co-founder and CEO Luis von Ahn, Duolingo plans to become "AI-first" and will gradually cease employing contractors for tasks that artificial intelligence can manage. This message was shared publicly when the email was posted. Duolingo’s LinkedIn account .

Von Ahn suggests that going "AI-first" entails significant adjustments across the organization, stating that merely tweaking human-designed systems isn't sufficient. To facilitate this transition, the firm plans to implement several strategic limitations. These include modifications in contractor collaborations, exploring AI applications during recruitment and evaluations, and restricting headcount increases unless teams prove they can further automate tasks.

Von Ahn states that "Duolingo will continue as a company that values its staff immensely" and clarifies that "the objective is not to substitute Duos with artificial intelligence." Rather, he explains that these modifications aim at "eliminating roadblocks" allowing workers to "concentrate on innovative projects and genuine challenges instead of monotonous activities."

Von Ahn states, "Artificial intelligence isn't merely an enhancement to efficiency; it brings us nearer to achieving our goals. In education, producing vast amounts of material is essential, but doing so manually limits scalability. A key choice we've made lately involved swapping out a sluggish, labor-intensive content generation method for one driven by artificial intelligence. Without AI, scaling up our educational resources to reach additional students could take over half a century. It’s crucial that we deliver this content to our learners as quickly as possible."

Von Ahn’s email mirrors a message that Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke circulated among his staff not long ago. shared online In that memorandum, Lütke stated that prior to requesting additional staff or resources, teams were required to demonstrate "how they can’t accomplish their goals with the assistance of artificial intelligence."

Sure, please provide the text from von Ahn’s memo that you would like me to paraphrase.

I've mentioned this during various Q&A sessions and numerous meetings, but now I aim to formalize it: Duolingo will prioritize AI in its future approach. .

AI is already transforming the way tasks are completed. The discussion isn’t about whether or when but rather that it's occurring right now. During such significant transitions, doing nothing is often the least productive approach. Back in 2012, our team placed our chips on mobile technology. As many concentrated their efforts on supplementary mobile applications for desktop sites, we opted to prioritize building from a mobile perspective since we recognized where things were headed. This choice propelled us to secure the title of 2013 iPhone App of the Year and sparked an ongoing cycle of natural viral expansion through user recommendations.

Mobile betting has transformed the industry. Similarly, we're now predicting that AI will have an equally significant impact as the next major platform change.

AI isn't merely an enhancement to efficiency. It brings us nearer to achieving our objective. In order to educate effectively, we must generate an enormous quantity of material, which cannot be sustainably done through manual means alone. A significant choice we’ve recently implemented involved substituting a sluggish, labor-intensive content production method with an AI-driven approach. Absent AI capabilities, scaling up our educational resources for additional students could take several decades. We have a duty towards those who seek knowledge from us to provide this content as swiftly as possible.

AI assists us in developing features such as Video Calls, which were previously unattainable. For the first time ever, teaching as well as the best human tutors is within our reach.

Going AI-first implies that we must reconsider significant aspects of our workflow. Slight adjustments to human-oriented systems will not bring us to our destination. In numerous instances, we will have to begin anew. It won’t be possible to reconstruct every component instantly, and certain tasks—such as enabling AI to comprehend our codebase—will require considerable time. Nonetheless, we cannot afford to hold off until the technology reaches flawless perfection. Instead, we prefer acting swiftly even if it means accepting minor setbacks in quality along the way, rather than progressing at a snail’s pace and losing our chance.

We'll implement several beneficial limitations to aid in guiding this transition:

We will slowly cease employing contractors for tasks that AI can manage.

The utilization of AI will be one aspect we consider when evaluating candidates for hire.

We will include AI usage as one of the criteria for evaluating performance during reviews.

A headcount will be provided solely if a team is unable to further automate their tasks.

Many functions will have particular plans aimed at substantially transforming their operations.

All of this said, Duolingo will continue as a company that holds deep care for its staff. This isn't about substituting Duos with AI; rather, it's about eliminating obstacles so we can make better use of our excellent Duos. Our aim is for you to concentrate on innovative projects and genuine challenges instead of monotonous duties. We will provide additional training, mentoring, and tools to help enhance your role in AI.

Transformations can be daunting, yet I believe this move will significantly benefit Duolingo. This shift will enable us to more effectively achieve our goals—and for the users, it signifies remaining at the forefront by leveraging this technology to accomplish tasks efficiently.

–Luis

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