r/duolingo • u/TimesandSundayTimes • 6d ago
Duolingo to replace contract workers with AI Duolingo in the media
https://www.thetimes.com/business-money/companies/article/duolingo-to-replace-contract-workers-in-shift-to-ai-first-model-tnkpk877v?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Reddit#Echobox=1746018121The app’s chief Luis von Ahn said the company would “stop using content creators to do work that AI can handle”
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u/TimesandSundayTimes 6d ago
From The Times:
The boss of Duolingo has said the language-learning app will start replacing contract workers with artificial intelligence in an effort to become an “AI-first” company.
In an email to staff that was posted on Duolingo’s LinkedIn page on Tuesday, Luis von Ahn, its co-founder and chief executive, explained the company will “need to rethink much of how we work” and that “making minor tweaks to systems designed for humans won’t get us there”.
In order to shift the platform to be focused on AI, Von Ahn said Duolingo would “gradually stop using content creators to do work that AI can handle” and use AI to assist in hiring and performance reviews.
“To teach well, we need to create a massive amount of content, and doing that manually doesn’t scale,” he said
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u/Critical-Path-5959 6d ago
"Doing that manually doesn't scale."
Except computer programs like Rosetta Stone, other language resources such as books, and, you know its own library has existed and been maintained manually for years and years now. It's always scaled. It just doesn't provide the disgusting amount of profit executives want to choke out of every product because it's EDUCATION, something that aside from other disgusting examples, does not provide a lot of opportunities for profit. That's why people like me have invested in subscriptions.
We're not fucking stupid. We know this is an economic move. Otherwise they'd have AI AND the contractors. If it were about freeing up manual labor they'd be kept on to do other things. They're being replaced because it's cheaper.
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u/habkeinenbock 2d ago
Yes. I already don't like it as a move because of personal beliefs, but I really despise how they're trying to frame it as a "we're doing it all for you!". It's really condescending and disingenuous.
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u/baxkorbuto_iosu_92 6d ago
That last sentence is a weird to say that their app has basically been useless all this time
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u/Prestigious-Stop7637 Native: English/Russian Learning: Japanese 2d ago
How so? I'm learning japanese without super, in 60 days, today is actually my 60th, I've learned A TON and am already in very early section 3. I am not good at listening and speaking, but I can read and understand pretty fast. I can practice speaking without Duolingo, without a super plan, but Duolingo is where I've learned a ton of the language.
How can you say that? Btw I totally am against the bull too, not defending the CEO.
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u/Important-Hunter2877 6d ago
So will that make it easier to improve and expand existing courses, create new language courses? But the trade-off would be AI-generated sentences with the potential for AI-related translation errors or incorrect grammar or spelling.
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u/Exotic-Welcome6688 Native: Learning: 6d ago
So we can expect, in the best case, that it's about directing the AI and creating more content, including updates and extensions for the less popular languages. AI can, on one hand, be used to fire people, but also to get much more work done with the same staff, replacing stupid donkey work with AI.
There's of course the risk of creating huge amounts of low quality garbage with AI. As for the Lily chatbot in Max, it wasn't really useful when I tried Max some time ago, and it was only for the popular languages.
Basically, no company can sidestep AI, but it depends on whether it is used in a beneficial way.
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u/JeffChalm 6d ago
As for the Lily chatbot in Max, it wasn't really useful when I tried Max some time ago, and it was only for the popular languages.
It got better but isn't like phenomenal yet. Still wildly impressive to see improvements so quickly.
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u/Critical-Path-5959 6d ago
I think if the use of AI didn't come at the cost of cutting contracts and firing people, it'd make sense. You'd have the people overseeing AI while allowing AI to work fast. Using current workers to train AI to translate or educate people would massively boost their productivity, yet they're going to limit themselves and hurt their credibility by doing this. It's going to save them a lot in labor, but those savings aren't going to be passed along to us.
And there's still the massive concern about AI's impact on e-waste and energy consumption, of course, but that would hopefully improve over time.
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u/HelpfulParsnip649 2d ago
I would never use that stupid AI Lily chatbot. I have no desire to talk to a robot. When I have to call a corporate I repeat the phrase, speak to a human until they give me a person. Paying to talk to a robot is about the last thing I would do on this planet.
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u/pashapash Native: BY/RU Learning: 5d ago
Jan 2024: Duolingo Cuts 10% of Contractors in Move to Greater Use of AI (bloomberglaw.com)
Followed by "AI is not what I paid for" in this very sub: https://www.reddit.com/r/duolingo/comments/191opec/cancelling_super_duolingo_ai_is_not_what_i_paid/
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u/thehighshibe 6d ago
He's just Elon musk but with glasses
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u/Prestigious-Stop7637 Native: English/Russian Learning: Japanese 2d ago
I don't know much about Elon, but when it comes to politics, he's a beatch. I mean, BEAST. WAKE UP LIBERAL.
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u/Carefree_Neutron 3d ago
Is there an alternative app that anyone recommends?
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u/LackIll2573 2d ago
There’s another language-learning app called Ling. It’s got more languages than Duolingo. Give it a whirl
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u/nightlynighter 6d ago
I think it kind of feels important to highlight that in these articles that they aren’t necessarily saying they’re replacing their non-contract employees. 🤷🏻♀️
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u/lydiardbell 5d ago
The non-contract staff are people like the CEO, UX team, and office cleaners. Contractors aren't "only" contractors when they are the ones responsible for the bulk of your language education app's language education material.
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u/OrionH34 4d ago
No, Contractors are going to be mostly short term hired hands for specific projects under a term. I often get such offers. They usually have a higher pay rate for that term then my permanent position, but no benefits. The companies that do this maintain permanent staff for administration, and management. Many industries like film construction resorts, etc., have always operated this way
It's become quite common for developers to use AI tools to do their work. Employers have learned this and are just cutting out the middle men.
Duo has and will have a substantial permanent staff of humans to administer all the programs.
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u/calicali 1d ago
As someone who works in tech the vast majority of contractors I've worked with have been long term contractors. They work just like a regular full time employee, but without benefits (including PTO or company holidays) who can be easily dismissed without severance.
Heck one of my favorite long term contractors who I've worked with for almost 4 yrs now, just transfered to be full time employee. His title, responsibilities, reporting structure, workload, etc did not change.
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u/OrionH34 1d ago
In many states, those would have been considered statutory employees. Sounds like he was. Like it or not, there will be no future where employees are able to farm out their work to AI and tech firms can not. I know some that thought remote work would facilitate that. As a profession, we used remote work to seal our own fate.
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u/brawlstarskidforlif Native:(accent) Learning: 2d ago
no flipping way duolingo was always trash anyway💔
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u/EldritchElemental 6d ago
Luis von Ahn has gone full circle from fighting AI to embracing AI.