# Duolingo’s AI Gambit: 148 New Courses Launch Amidst Contractor Replacement Controversy

## Duolingo’s AI Gambit: 148 New Courses Launch Amidst Contractor Replacement Controversy

Duolingo is doubling down on AI. The language learning platform unveiled 148 new language courses on Wednesday, all built with the help of generative AI. This massive content expansion, the largest in the company’s history, arrives at a turbulent time. Duolingo is currently facing user backlash after announcing its intention to replace contractors with AI-powered systems, effectively becoming an “AI-first” company.

According to Duolingo, developing its initial course offerings took roughly 12 years. Now, utilizing generative AI and automation, the company claims it created and launched nearly 150 new courses in approximately a year.

“This is a great example of how generative AI can directly benefit our learners,” said Duolingo co-founder and CEO Luis von Ahn in a press release. “This launch reflects the incredible impact of our AI and automation investments, which have allowed us to scale at unprecedented speed and quality.”

The new courses, designed primarily for beginners, incorporate features such as Stories for reading comprehension and DuoRadio for listening practice. Duolingo plans to release more advanced content in the coming months.

However, the company’s AI ambitions have sparked controversy. Von Ahn stated in a recent email to staff that Duolingo will “gradually stop using contractors to do work that AI can handle.” He further emphasized that new headcount would only be approved if a team couldn’t automate more of their work.

“AI isn’t just a productivity boost,” Von Ahn wrote. “It helps us get closer to our mission. To teach well, we need to create a massive amount of content, and doing that manually doesn’t scale. Without AI, it would take us decades to scale our content to more learners. We owe it to our learners to get them this content ASAP.”

This strategic shift has not been well-received by all. Users have voiced concerns on social media, with some arguing that the increasing reliance on AI is degrading the app’s quality, resulting in inaccurate and subpar content. Some users have even gone as far as deleting the app and encouraging others to do the same.

The debate highlights the complex relationship between technological advancement and human labor. While Duolingo argues that AI is crucial for scaling its services and providing more content to learners, critics are concerned about the potential impact on content quality and the displacement of human workers. Whether Duolingo can successfully navigate these challenges remains to be seen, but the launch of these AI-powered courses marks a significant turning point for the platform and the future of language learning.