Duolingo is set to replace existing contract workers with AI, the company revealed in a memo this week.
Signaling his commitment to making Duolingo “AI-first,” co-founder and CEO Luis von Ahn claimed that the company will “need to rethink much of how we work,” and that “minor tweaks to systems designed for humans won’t get us there.” He also outlined several steps that the business will take to bring its plans to fruition.
The language app is the latest in a growing list of companies to replace workers with AI. However, the results of doing so have not always been unanimously positive. Recently, a study from Carnegie Mellon found that a fake company staffed entirely with AI agents would only have a 24% rate of success.
Duolingo to Replace Contract Workers with AI, Company Announces
Duolingo plans to gradually stop using its contract workers in favor of AI, the company revealed in an all-hands email sent on Monday and shared to the company’s LinkedIn page. According to von Ahn: “We’ll gradually stop using contractors to do work that AI can handle.”
The company cited the need to adapt to changing times as the reason for its new direction. Said the CEO: “AI is already changing how work gets done. It’s not a question of if or when. It’s happening now.”
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He continued: “In 2012, we bet on mobile…that decision helped us win the 2013 iPhone App of the Year…betting on mobile made all the difference. We’re making a similar call now, and this time the platform shift is AI.”
Duolingo Commits to “AI-First” Approach
The move forms part of a pledge to be “AI-first.” According to von Ahn, this will require the company to “rethink much of how we work,” and that “making minor tweaks to systems designed for humans won’t get us there.”
To bring this plan to fruition, the company plans to make a number of “constructive constraints.” Among them, it will stop using contractors for “work that AI can handle;” look to hire future employees with proficiency in the technology; evaluate AI use as a key part of performance; only look to make future hires if a team “cannot automate more of their work;” and “fundamentally change” most functions through “specific initiatives.”
Despite his remarks, von Ahn was keen to allay fears that existing employees were vulnerable to being laid off in favor of automation. He signed off his memo by promising that “Duolingo will remain a company that cares deeply about its employees.”
Evidence Suggests That Companies Should Exercise AI Caution
In recent years, several companies have replaced portions of their workforce with AI. Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski has been unwavering in his belief that AI can, and will, automate most roles that are currently occupied by humans. In February, he told Bloomberg: “I am of the opinion that AI can already do all of the jobs that we, as humans, do. It’s just a question about how we apply it and use it.”
However, a recent study from Carnegie Mellon contradicts this belief. Researchers created a fake company that was run by different AI models, which were then instructed to complete everyday tasks that you would find in a software startup. The researchers found that, at best, the AI agents only successfully completed 24% of the tasks. In other words, the AI-staffed company was a complete failure.
Undeterred, Duolingo will press ahead with their plan to automate contract work. The company should definitely exercise a note of caution, however. These findings indicate that AI is not yet the silver bullet that many have hoped.
