One of the most popular language learning apps, Duolingo, has decided to place artificial intelligence at the center of its operations, with co-founder and chief executive Luis von Ahn calling the company's recent decision to use AI in developing learning content "one of the best" it has made in years.
In an email to employees, he signalled that broader changes are now underway, including changes to how it works with contractors.
U.S.-based Duolingo will begin reassessing its workflows on a larger scale, with AI proficiency becoming a factor in both hiring and performance evaluations.
Departments will only be expanded if their tasks cannot be automated, and Duolingo will "gradually stop using contractors to do work that AI can handle."
Despite the shift, von Ahn emphasized that the goal is not to replace staff with technology. In the email that he posted on LinkedIn on Monday, he said the aim is to free up employees to focus on "creative work and real problems, not repetitive tasks."
Duolingo, a competitor to Berlin-based Babbel, is the second major tech firm in recent weeks to publicly embrace AI in its staffing and operational strategies.
In early April, Shopify boss Tobias Lutke told employees that teams would only receive additional staffing if they could prove their tasks couldn’t be accomplished by AI, adding that the use of AI was now a baseline expectation for staff.
