Duolingo to replace contract workers with AI – CEO

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Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn's email points to this being a push towards making Duolingo 'AI-first'

MANILA, Philippines – Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn released a company-wide email on Monday, April 28, saying the company was going to “gradually stop using contractors to do work that AI can handle.”

The email was posted on LinkedIn through Duolingo’s official account.

Von Ahn’s email points to this being a push towards making Duolingo “AI-first.”

He added: “Being AI-first means we will need to rethink much of how we work. Making minor tweaks to systems designed for humans won’t get us there.”

There are a number of “constructive constraints” Duolingo would be implementing, in addition to the gradual phaseout of the use of contractual work. The company would also be looking for AI use in hiring and in performance reviews, adding that “headcount will only be given if a team cannot automate more of their work.”

Von Ahn also wrote that “Duolingo will remain a company that cares deeply about its employees,” and will offer support for employees, such as “training, mentorship, and tooling for AI in your function” in its bid to remove organizational bottlenecks.

The Verge, in its report, said the move follows a similar memo written by Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke where he said that before teams could ask for more resources, they needed to show “why they cannot get what they want done using AI.” – Rappler.com