Duolingo, a leading language learning platform, has recently downsized around 10% of its contract workforce, signaling a strategic shift toward increased integration of artificial intelligence (AI). The layoffs, which affected contractors at the close of 2023, were preceded by Duolingo’s exploration of alternative roles for the affected workers, with layoffs being the last resort, according to the company. Notably, no full-time employees were impacted by these changes.
Boasting a substantial user base of 24.2 million daily active users and 5.8 million paid subscribers across 100+ courses, Duolingo has actively embraced AI technologies. In March, the company introduced “Duolingo Max,” a subscription tier incorporating OpenAI’s GPT-4 language model.
This addition brought AI-powered features, including interactive conversations with chatbots and AI-generated explanations for correct or incorrect answers.
Duolingo’s CEO, Luis von Ahn, emphasized the role of generative AI in accelerating content creation in a shareholder letter from November. The recent layoffs reflect Duolingo’s strategy to leverage AI across various aspects of content creation, such as sentence generation, translation lists, and error report corrections.
Despite this increased reliance on AI, Duolingo emphasized that human oversight remains crucial. The company sees AI as a tool to enhance productivity, efficiency, and rapid content development, emphasizing that it does not replace human expertise but facilitates course improvement and proficiency elevation.
This downsizing aligns with a broader industry trend where companies deploy AI to optimize processes. A November report indicated that 37% of surveyed companies witnessed AI replacing workers in 2023, with 44% anticipating AI-related layoffs in 2024. Other tech firms, including Chegg and Dropbox, have cited AI as a factor in workforce reductions, showcasing a broader industry shift toward AI-driven efficiency.
Acknowledging the potential impact of AI on employment, industry leaders like IBM CEO Arvind Krishna have mentioned a temporary hiring pause for roles susceptible to AI displacement. However, they stress the belief that, in the long run, AI is expected to create more jobs than it eliminates.
In essence, Duolingo’s recent workforce adjustments underscore its commitment to AI integration for content enhancement while recognizing the enduring importance of human expertise in language education.