Key Takeaways
- Duolingo’s CEO announced an “AI-first” strategy, emphasizing speed in adopting the technology.
- AI will increasingly replace work currently done by contractors.
- Proficiency with AI tools will become part of hiring criteria and employee performance evaluations.
- Adding new staff will require demonstrating that tasks cannot be automated first.
- Other tech giants like Uber and Shopify are also making AI usage a core expectation for employees.
Duolingo is making a big push into artificial intelligence, aiming to become an “AI-first” company.
In a memo shared publicly, CEO Luis von Ahn outlined the plan, stressing urgency over perfection.
He wrote that the company would rather move quickly and accept occasional small quality dips than move slowly and “miss the moment.”
This new focus comes with specific changes. Von Ahn noted that Duolingo will gradually stop using contractors for work that AI can handle effectively.
Furthermore, how well candidates and current employees use AI will influence hiring decisions and performance reviews.
Getting approval to hire more people will also change. Teams will need to show they can’t automate more of their work before getting headcount increases.
Many parts of the company are expected to fundamentally change how they operate using AI.
This isn’t entirely new for Duolingo. According to Business Insider, the company already cut about 10% of its contractor positions early in 2024 and made similar AI-related reductions in 2023 as it began using AI for content creation.
Von Ahn did clarify that this AI push is not intended to replace full-time employees. He explained that AI is crucial for scaling content creation to reach more learners far faster than would otherwise be possible.
Duolingo’s move reflects a broader trend in the tech industry.
Recently, the CEOs of Uber and Shopify also sent strong messages about the importance of AI adoption.
Uber’s CEO mentioned implementing training programs because not enough employees know how to use AI, calling it an “absolute necessity” within a year.
Similarly, Shopify’s CEO stated that using AI is now a “fundamental expectation” and teams must justify needing more staff over leveraging AI tools.
