According to Bloomberg, Duolingo has reduced 10% of its vendors and now relies on AI resources for task completion. A spokesperson, without detailing their contributions to the company, mentioned to the news outlet, “We simply no longer require as many individuals to perform the type of tasks some of these vendors were handling. Some of this shift can be credited to AI.”
As reported by Bloomberg, CEO Luis von Ahn disclosed in November that the company is leveraging AI to generate new content, such as code, at a significantly accelerated pace. Duolingo also utilizes AI to create the accents heard by users in the game. Moreover, the company has recently introduced customer-facing AI functionalities. One of these is the Duolingo Max premium tier, introduced last year, which provides users with access to chatbots that offer explanations for correct or incorrect answers. Another feature of Max, known as Roleplay, enables users to practice their vocabulary in simulated scenarios, like ordering at a cafe in Paris.
Concerns about job displacement due to technological advancements have been raised in light of the emergence of modern conceptual Orion. However, the reductions in workforce in this case reportedly did not affect full-time employees, with the director clarifying that this does not signify a simple substitution of employees with AI. It appears that many of the company’s full-time staff and contractors utilize AI tools for specific tasks.
