Duolingo CEO and co-founder Luis von Ahn has revamped the company’s ‘AI-first’ statement from back in April, saying that he doesn’t plan to lay off full-time employees. Duolingo’s previous statement claimed the company would begin looking to AI to take on the work of contractors.
von Ahn states that he sees AI as an exciting opportunity for the business, and is already integrating it into the culture at Duolingo.
However, AI hasn’t been the golden ticket many businesses expected when it first appeared, and there is always the risk of losing the human feel of a service such as Duolingo when it becomes involved.
Duolingo CEO Addresses Company’s AI Stance Following Backlash
Luis von Ahn, co-founder and CEO of Duolingo, has revised the company’s ‘AI-first’ statement from last April, following backlash from consumers. Von Ahn took full responsibility for the backlash, stating that he “did not give enough context” at the time.
Speaking to The New York Times, von Ahn stated that Duolingo doesn’t plan to lay off any full-time employees, and the company confirmed it has been hiring at the same speed as before.
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However, von Ahn does predict that the jobs themselves will change: “What will probably happen is that one person will be able to accomplish more, rather than having fewer people.”
What Has Duolingo Previously Said About AI?
Back in April, Duolingo released a statement that it would become ‘AI-first’, and said that it would stop using contractors where AI could handle the workload. This follows a trend of companies laying off or replacing workers with the technology.
The statement also said that there would only be new hires at the company if managers could prove that AI couldn’t do the job on offer.
Consumers hit back, pointing out the the irony that a company which was focused on helping people communicate with each other, would revert to a system devoid of human touch. Consumers also suggested they could go straight to a traditional chatbot to teach them a language, rather than pay for Duolingo, that is powered by AI.
AI ‘Can Allow Us to Accomplish a Lot More’, Says Duolingo CEO
Ultimately, von Ahn appears hopeful about the potential of AI within Duolingo. It has even began to get employees on board, with that von Ahn called “f-r-A-I-days” in the office.
It seems that at the moment, von Ahn is most interested in how AI can make the company more efficient, stating that, “What used to take us years now can take us a week.”
However, shifting to AI hasn’t always worked out positively for businesses. Klarna, for example, replaced 700 workers with AI, only to invite them back due to reports of poor customer service. While Duolingo doesn’t appear to be on a similar track, there is still the danger of AI mishandling key processes that make the service so appealing to over 130 million monthly active users.
