Wall Street loves when companies boast about using AI. But customers hate it.

Duolingo has faced backlash over its AI usage, and the CEO now claims that AI isn’t replacing its employees just yet.

The language-learning app Duolingo is significantly shifting its emphasis in hiring, productivity and corporate structures ... recent decisions was to rely on AI for creating learning materials.

In late April and early May 2025, claims (archived) circulated online that Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn said the language-learning app would become "AI-first" and replace contractors with artificial ...

Duolingo is "going to be AI-first," the educational technology company announced, adding that it is replacing contract workers with artificial intelligence. In an all-hands email from CEO Luis von ...

Duolingo is “more than doubling” the number of courses it has available, a feat it says was only possible because it used generative AI to help create them in “less than a year.” ...

AI-driven scalability is transforming Duolingo from a language app into a broad-based education platform, propelling monthly active users to 130 million and enabling the launch of 148 new courses.

Duolingo will “gradually stop using contractors to do work that AI can handle,” according to an all-hands email sent by cofounder and CEO Luis von Ahn announcing that the company will be “AI ...

Duolingo is the latest company to spark a backlash over its CEO's excitement about AI. Investors and Wall Street love hearing about companies' ambitious AI plans, but many customers hate it.