Luis Von Ahn, Founder and CEO of Duolingo, was the target of intense criticism due to his statements at the beginning of the year. Von Ahn announced that the company would work “artificial intelligence priority önce and these words led to different interpretations. In the public opinion, this approach increased the worries that employees will replace artificial intelligence. However, Von Ahn said in a new interview that these claims did not reflect the truth.
Speaking to the New York Times, Von Ahn stressed that his own words were detached from the context. According to him, the wrong perception of a vision that was not controversial inside led to the growth of the process. The fact that they were a company traded on the stock market caused such explanations to be read more carefully. In addition, some segments interpreted this approach as a profit -oriented move.
Duolingo CEO said employees were not dismissed
Von Ahn said that no full -time employees have been dismissed and that this is not on the agenda in the future. This statement was a clear response to the allegations of “Duolingo Reduces Employee” circulating on social media. Nevertheless, he acknowledged that the employees in the status of contractor have experienced periodic changes in the case of work. According to him, this was a method applied since the past according to the needs of the company.
However, the company’s interest in artificial intelligence has not been reduced. Von Ahn said that every Friday morning, the team had time to try artificial intelligence technologies. In his own words, this practice is called “AI Fridays .. But he shared with a humorous language that he had difficulty in pronunciation.
Duolingo’s artificial intelligence investments have been one of the elements that support the growth acceleration of the company in recent years. The application started to offer subscribers with GPT-4-based features. These vehicles were found valuable especially for paid users. In addition, it is seen that artificial intelligence is increasingly used in personalized learning processes.
Despite everything, Von Ahn says he does not agree with the idea that human labor will be completely substituted with artificial intelligence. The point that he emphasizes is that artificial intelligence assumes a complementary role in existing tools. Thus, it is thought that users can provide faster, more personal and more effective learning experiences. But he often repeats that the perception that this vision will leave the employees unemployed is not true.
The public debates on artificial intelligence are not only experienced in Duolingo. Giant companies such as OpenAI, Google and Meta are also faced with similar criticisms. The future role of employees continues to be an important question on the technology agenda. Nevertheless, many experts think that artificial intelligence will develop in support of human labor force.
The competition in the language learning practices market is gradually intensifying. Companies that want to stand out in this competition are investing in technologies to improve their user experience. Duolingo plans to benefit more from artificial intelligence in this direction. Content adapted to users’ personal learning speed and level are among the most prominent examples of this vision.
Von Ahn’s words seem to be an explanation for calming criticism while shedding light on the future plans of the company. In addition, Duolingo’s continuing to increase the number of users shows that artificial intelligence integration gives commercial positive results. This also contributes to the transportation of the company to a wider audience.
The use of artificial intelligence in educational technologies seems to be further intensified in the coming years. Duolingo continues to improve his user experience with the steps he takes in this field. However, it is clear that human contribution is still an indispensable element. Therefore, the steps taken by the company are an important example of how technology and human labor will be balanced.