--- title: "Duolingo Announces Plans to Replace as Many Human Workers as Possible With AI" description: "Pivot Power Duolingo, the gamified, owl-mascoted language learning app, is going \"AI-first\" — and replacing all its human contractors along the way. In an all-hands email that was later published in its entirety to LinkedIn, Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn announced that the company would \"gradually stop using contractors to do work that AI can handle.\" Part of that shift, von Ahn wrote, will essentially involve deploying it before it’s \"100% perfect.\" \"We're not going to rebuild everything overnight, and some things — like getting Al to understand our codebase-will take time,\" the CEO wrote. \"However, we can't wait until […]" date: "2025-04-29" modified: "2025-04-29" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/duolingo-replacing-humans-ai" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" tags: - "ai workers" - "duolingo" - "language learning apps" - "the digest" --- # Duolingo Announces Plans to Replace as Many Human Workers as Possible With AI ![The Duolingo language app is completing its "AI-first" pivot — and replacing all its human contractors along the way.]() *\Image: Kevin Dietsch via Getty / Futurism\* ## Pivot Power The gamified, owl-mascoted language learning app Duolingo is completing its "AI-first" pivot — and replacing all its human contractors along the way. In an all-hands email that was later [posted on LinkedIn](), Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn announced that the company would "gradually stop using contractors to do work that AI can handle." Part of that shift, von Ahn wrote, will involve deploying the tech before it’s "100 percent perfect." "We're not going to rebuild everything overnight, and some things — like getting Al to understand our codebase-will take time," the CEO wrote. "However, we can't wait until the technology is 100% perfect. We'd rather move with urgency and take occasional small hits on quality than move slowly and miss the moment." Along with "gradually" offloading all its human contractors, Duolingo will also, per von Ahn’s timeline, use knowledge of AI when hiring and in performance reviews. ## Slow Fork Folks online have found the language app’s shift towards AI pretty duo-plicitious — especially because [Duolingo has been using AI]() for years now. As one [user on the r/Technology subreddit]() noted, Duolingo already appears to use "AI pronunciations for Irish" and "sacked the contractor" or contractors that built it out. That user isn't the first to make that claim — two years ago, [folks on the Duolingo subreddit]() pointed out that the voices for Irish (the term folks in Ireland and its diaspora use for Gaelic) seemed to be "computer generated" and, basically, crappy. A few months later, a [company spokesperson confirmed]() that translators had indeed been fired in favor of AI. Over on Bluesky, sentiments were similar. "The best time to delete Duolingo was when they first included AI shit," [one user quipped](). "The second best time is now." With news of the app pivoting even further in favor of AI, there is a good case to be made that Duolingo’s gamified model was never really that helpful for language learning to begin with. "Last year I replaced Duolingo with actual studying," [another Bluesky-er posted](), "and you can too." **More on AI labor:** [*When You Apply for a Job Now, You’re Competing With Non-Human Entities*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()