The AI balance: Lessons from Duolingo’s controversial pivot

TL;DR: Before replacing human talent with AI, ask yourself: Is prioritising efficiency worth risking your brand’s reputation and user loyalty?

This week, the well-known language learning tool, Duolingo, announced it will become an “AI-First” company, replacing many human translators and content creators with AI-generated alternatives. This has been met with huge backlash from users who are threatening to leave the platform entirely.

In an all-hands email from CEO Luis Von Ahn that was leaked to social media, the company described about how AI will impact their operations, from “We’ll gradually stop using contractors to do work that Al can handle” to the more concerning directive that “Headcount will only be given if a team cannot automate more of their work.”

Reactions

As always, many people have taken to social media to talk about their frustrations, but also to share a meme or two. Reactions include “We’re watching the live downfall of Duolingo” as users flood app stores with 1-star reviews.

Many users are also commenting on how AI language models currently cannot teach users the nuance of tonal language and specific dialects, which these contractors were in place to teach users about.

Recently, Duolingo went viral after the ‘death’ of their owl mascot–seemingly hit by a Tesla Cybertruck, then resurrected. The original video went wild on the likes of TikTok and was praised for being a great viral marketing campaign that caught the attention of millions of people.

However, announcing the AI first idea mere months after this viral campaign meant Duolingo hit the spotlight immediately, and people are not happy.

Lessons to learn

As AI progresses rapidly in society, and many of us find ways to use AI to make our lives easier and more efficient, Duolingo’s experience gives valuable insights for those considering similar transitions. It’s crucial to recognise how overreliance on automation can damage both brand reputation and user trust. In our social media-driven world, a brand can rise as quickly as it can fall.

When looking at AI initiatives, consider their holistic impact –not just on operations, but on employees, users and your overall brand integrity. AI offers powerful tools which can do great and valuable things, especially in the third sector, such as new opportunities and workflows to support stretched budgets. But it doesn’t replace human creativity.

This resonates with us– at The Developer Society, we look at all aspects of AI when discussing your ideas, from the ethical side, environmental impact and the overarching impact it can have on your team. This is crucial information for you when thinking about your AI projects. We’re always happy to share our experiences of ethical AI use for not-for-profits and be a sounding board so feel free to get in touch.

Update 28th May 2025

Since this happened, the social media backlash increased to the extent they removed all videos from their tik tok. Additionally, their CEO has backtracked by saying the company ”does not see AI as replacing what our employees do”. There are many lessons to learn from this and here at DEV we’re happy to share our lessons learnt.