Duolingo Cuts Contractors, Replaces Them With AI

Duolingo is cutting 10% of its contract workforce as it moves to use artificial intelligence for creating lessons and translations. The company confirmed the cuts on Monday, signaling a major shift in how the popular language app gets its work done. The cuts affect workers who helped write sentences and translate phrases for the app.

Key Facts

• The Cut: About 10% of the company’s contract workers have been let go.
• The Reason: Duolingo is using AI to write content faster; remaining humans will check the AI’s work rather than writing from scratch.
• Source: The Verge and Bloomberg.

Why This Is Happening

A spokesperson for the company said the change is about speed and cost. “We just no longer need as many people to do the type of work some of these contractors were doing,” the spokesperson said. “Part of that could be attributed to AI.”

For years, Duolingo used thousands of human experts to build its courses. Now, computer programs can do the heavy lifting. The company says full-time employees are not part of this cut, but the move shows how quickly companies are swapping human tasks for automation.

The New Role for Humans

The job is changing for those who stay. Instead of creating new sentences or translations, workers will now review what the AI produces. According to reports from impacted workers, teams that once had four people now have two. Their main job is to fix the mistakes the computer makes.

This follows the launch of “Duolingo Max,” a higher-priced subscription that uses advanced AI to explain answers and roleplay conversations with users.

What It Means for Workers

This is a clear example of AI replacing gig work. Contractors are often the first to go because they are easier to cut than full-time staff. While Duolingo says this helps them make more content, it leaves many skilled translators looking for new work in a shrinking market.