Duolingo doubles courses to 148 using AI, replacing contractors

Duolingo has announced the launch of 148 new language courses created by artificial intelligence, marking its largest content expansion to date. This move doubles the number of language courses offered by the platform, significantly accelerating the pace of content creation and signaling a major breakthrough in AI-driven education. According to Duolingo co-founder and CEO Luis von Ahn, developing the first 100 courses took approximately 12 years, but the company managed to create and launch nearly 150 new courses in just one year. Von Ahn stated, “This is a great example of how generative AI directly benefits learners. The release exemplifies the tremendous impact of our investments in AI and automation, enabling us to expand our business at an unprecedented speed and quality.” However, the announcement comes amid significant criticism from users regarding Duolingo’s plan to gradually replace contract workers with AI. On Monday, von Ahn informed employees via an internal email that the company would shift to an AI-centric work model, adding that teams would only be expanded if their tasks could not be further automated. He emphasized, “To teach a language well, we need to create a lot of content, and manual creation simply can’t scale. One of the best decisions we’ve made recently is using AI to replace the slow, manual content creation process. Without AI, it might take decades to expand our content to so many learners.” The decision has sparked strong user dissatisfaction, with many expressing concerns about the lower quality and inaccuracy of AI-generated content. Users have taken to social media to voice their anger and even called for others to uninstall the Duolingo app. Duolingo’s new courses are primarily designed for beginners and include features like “Stories” to enhance reading comprehension and “DuoRadio” to improve listening skills. Over the next few months, the company plans to roll out more advanced content. The ability to create and verify content at such a large scale in a short time is attributed to Duolingo's advancements in generative AI, shared content systems, and internal tools. Senior Learning Design Director Jessie Becker explained, “By leveraging generative AI to create and validate content, we can focus our expertise where it’s most effective, ensuring every course meets Duolingo’s high-quality standards.” Becker also highlighted the “shared content” model used internally, which allows employees to create a base course and quickly adapt it to different languages. This model, combined with AI, has enabled the company to produce a broad range of courses rapidly and maintain their quality. Von Ahn’s memo to employees further detailed the company’s AI strategy. He outlined that Duolingo has been working with and testing AI for years, and the company would not implement its new AI-driven content or strategy without confidence in the technology. Spokesperson Sam Dalsimer reinforced this point, stating, “We’ve always envisioned reaching teaching standards comparable to human tutors through technology, and now AI makes this achievable.” Dalsimer added that the company had no plans to reduce full-time employee numbers or halt hiring. Adjustments to contract workers would be considered on a case-by-case basis. “Through the application of AI, Duolingo has not only drastically increased the speed of course development but has also expanded access to educational resources globally, showcasing the vast potential of AI in education,” he emphasized. Despite the criticism, industry insiders view Duolingo’s move as a crucial technological turning point. The introduction of extensive AI-generated courses signals a growing role for AI in the education sector and sets a milestone for the online learning industry. As other platforms explore AI's potential, we can anticipate more innovative teaching methods and enriched learning experiences. Founded in 2011 and headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Duolingo is a global leader in language learning platforms, known for its creative and technologically robust R&D team. The company’s latest expansion showcases its commitment to leveraging cutting-edge technology to make language education accessible to a wider audience. In summary, while Duolingo’s use of AI to create new language courses represents a significant leap forward in efficient and scalable content production, the company must address user concerns to maintain trust and ensure the quality of its educational offerings. If handled well, this AI-driven approach could solidify Duolingo’s position as a pioneer in the tech-enabled education space. Industry experts agree that Duolingo's integration of AI into its content creation process is groundbreaking. They note that the company's history of innovation and its dedication to quality standards make it a strong candidate for successfully navigating this transition. Other online education platforms may follow suit, leading to broader adoption of AI in language learning and potentially transforming the way we approach educational content.