Are we all set to see Duolingo’s redemption arc in action? Considering the backlash for Duolingo’s AI-first approach is slowly fading away, this could just be the case. Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn’s AI clarifications that layoffs are not on the table have won the company some brownie points with users, but others continue to perceive the company’s explanation as an attempt at damage control.
The CEO recently spoke to The New York Times, amending that the controversy was his mistake and arose from the lack of details in his messaging. “I did not give enough context. Internally, this was not controversial.” He further added, “Externally, as a publicly traded company, some people assume that it’s just for profit. Or that we’re trying to lay off humans. And that was not the intent at all.”
What is the AI-first backlash against Duolingo about? We’re here to explain.
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Duolingo’s Defense Against the AI-First Policy Backlash—Layoffs Are Not the Answer
Earlier this year, Duolingo released a memo regarding its new “AI-first” strategy, explaining how the company had managed to significantly ramp up the courses it was able to create for the language-learning app, purely by relying on AI. The idea of AI-generated courses was upsetting enough for users, but the company also cut ties with contractors because their services could no longer keep up with what AI tools could offer.
Duolingo didn’t stop there. The company indicated that employees would soon be required to use AI in their tasks, experimenting with the tools to see just how much benefit they could draw from it. Employees were informed that the company would only consider hiring more workers if they were able to prove that they couldn’t just automate the work with AI.
Instantly, Duolingo’s AI-first strategy drew backlash. From going AI-first to the implications of this approach for workers and customers, there was a general sense of anger and disapproval at the company’s apparent disregard for the workers who had made the company so successful. As a company that gained its popularity, not from its courses, but from its digital marketing skills that made it so endearing to users, the messaging did not appear to be a mistake. For many, it was a clear depiction of the company’s policy.
Duolingo’s Attempts at Damage Control
The backlash towards Duolingo’s AI-first strategy came in many forms, from expanding criticism on social media posts to users giving up their 1,000-day streaks on the app after months of dedicatedly logging on each day. Many vowed to switch to other language-learning apps over their disappointment with their updated approach.
In an attempt to sort out the controversy, Duolingo released an explanation video regarding its AI-first strategy, with the CEO also providing clarification on LinkedIn. Despite the reassurances, many users remained unconvinced.
Now, in a recent interview with The New York Times, Duolingo’s CEO put up his AI defense once more. Ahn clarified that the company had “never laid off any full-time employees” and it wasn’t about to start now. Does this mean that Duolingo is dialing back its emphasis on AI? Not necessarily.
AI Is Here to Stay, Duolingo Is Just “Open About It”
Explaining how AI is being integrated into Duolingo’s operations, the CEO added that the employee mandate to use AI was less of a threat and more of a community-building, creative experiment. “Every Friday morning, we have this thing: It’s a bad acronym, f-r-A-I-days. I don’t know how to pronounce it. Those mornings, we let each team experiment on how to get more efficient to use AI,” he said in the interview.
AI is changing how businesses operate, and we’ve seen enough evidence to suggest that jobs will be evolving to adapt to it in the coming years. The CEO admitted as much, stating, “In the next five years, people’s jobs will probably change. We’re seeing it with many of our engineers. They may not be doing some rote tasks anymore. What will probably happen is that one person will be able to accomplish more, rather than having fewer people.”
CEO Luis von Ahn claims he was surprised by the intensity of the backlash, but considering the fear and distrust that most of the general public has regarding AI, Duolingo’s popularity, combined with its brazen messaging, was bound to elicit a reaction. Still, the CEO told Financial Times, “every tech company is doing similar things [but] we were open about it.”
AI Is a Delicate Tool, and Its Utilization Needs to Be Measured
The Duolingo CEO’s AI defense may continue to be seen as an excuse, but he rightfully states that businesses are adopting AI in every area of operation. Replacing HR positions, creating digital employees, and giving AI call center jobs, businesses are attempting to integrate AI to prepare their organization for the future of work. Only about 5% of AI pilots have resulted in rapid revenue acceleration, but the mission to belong to that small percentage of success stories is on the mind of every business owner.
Despite the backlash against Duolingo’s AI-first approach, it is also true that the company hasn’t suffered largely. While users continue to express their disapproval online, the company beat its quarterly revenue estimates earlier this month, with its stocks rising almost 30% following the news. This might be evidence that all publicity is good publicity, but it also doesn’t represent the best way to approach AI adoption.
While Duolingo’s CEO clarifies that its AI approach was misunderstood, there are likely to be reservations among both employees and customers regarding its business model. The company was able to significantly scale up its production using AI, and more businesses will attempt to follow suit, but there might be more gradual and planned ways to go about it.
Duolingo may not be cutting down on its full-timers, but other organizations that attempt to scale in a similar way may have to without a clear and concrete strategy. In an AI-powered world, it’s clear that customers and employees appreciate an empathy-first strategy.
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