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Duolingo is set to implement significant changes in its operations as announced by co-founder and CEO Luis von Ahn in a recent company-wide email. The organization plans to adopt an “AI-first” approach, indicating a gradual shift away from utilizing contractors for tasks that artificial intelligence can perform. This announcement was shared on Duolingo’s LinkedIn account.
According to von Ahn, the transition to being “AI-first” necessitates a comprehensive reevaluation of the company’s working methods. He emphasized that incremental adjustments to existing systems are not sufficient to meet their goals. As part of this strategic shift, the company will introduce “constructive constraints” that will modify its contractor relationships and explore the integration of AI in areas such as hiring and performance evaluations. Future staffing increases will be contingent on a team’s inability to automate existing tasks.
Von Ahn reassured employees that Duolingo will continue to value its workforce. He clarified that the initiative is not centered around replacing human roles with AI but rather on eliminating inefficiencies. This will enable staff to concentrate on innovative projects and address complex issues rather than merely repetitive activities.
“AI isn’t just a productivity boost,” von Ahn remarked. “It allows us to get closer to our mission. In order to teach effectively, we must generate a substantial amount of content, and doing so through manual processes is not scalable. One of our recent key decisions was to replace a slow manual content creation method with AI. Without AI, meeting the demand for content would take us decades. We have a responsibility to deliver this material to our learners promptly.”
This communication from von Ahn mirrors a recent memo from Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke, who similarly encouraged teams to leverage AI capabilities before requesting additional personnel or resources.
Below is the text from von Ahn’s memo as shared on Duolingo’s LinkedIn post:
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