“You Can Keep Your ‘AI-First’ Company”: Loyal Users Cancel Duolingo Over AI Replacing Workers

If you’re anything like us, you love learning new languages. One of the most popular and accessible ways to do this is using the app created by the educational technology company Duolingo. Even if you haven’t ever touched the app, you probably know the iconic (and somewhat infamous) green owl mascot, Duo.

However, the company has been seeing quite a bit of backlash in recent days after Co-founder and CEO Luis von Ahn announced that Duolingo is going to be AI-first. This pivot toward artificial intelligence has upset many users, with some canceling their subscriptions or even outright deleting their accounts. Scroll down for the story in full. Bored Panda has reached out to Duolingo for comment, and we’ll update the article as soon as we hear back from them. 

Duolingo is beloved by millions around the globe. However, the company’s recent focus on AI has made some users cancel their subscriptions

Smartphone displaying Duolingo app with green owl logo, highlighting Duolingo AI-first strategy impacting user experience.

Image credits: appshunter / unsplash 

Some people are calling out Duolingo after the CEO announced that it will be an AI-first company. Here’s one internet user’s take

Screenshot of a Fortune article about Duolingo CEO replacing contract employees with AI in the AI tech sector.

Image credits: thotline_news

Young man with concerned expression reacting to Duolingo's AI-first strategy pushing many users away.

Image credits: thotline_news

Image credits: thotline_news

You can watch the internet user’s full video right here

@thotline_news RIP Duolingo lol #duolingo#news#ai#ceo#tech♬ original sound – Thotline News and Politics

“Change can be scary, but I’m confident this will be a great step for Duolingo”

In a post on Duolingo’s LinkedIn profile, the company stated that they are “going to be AI-first.”

“Just like how betting on mobile in 2012 made all the difference, we’re making a similar call now. This time, the platform shift is AI. What doesn’t change: We will remain a company that cares deeply about its employees,” the company wrote.

According to CEO von Ahn’s staff email about this change, “AI isn’t just a productivity boost. 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.”

He said, “One of the best decisions we made recently was replacing a slow, manual content creation process with one powered by AI. 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. AI also helps us build features like Video Calls that were impossible to build before. For the first time ever, teaching as well as the best human tutors is within our reach.”

The CEO said that going for this AI-first approach means that Duolingo has to rethink how it works. “Making minor tweaks to systems designed for humans won’t get us there. In many cases, we’ll need to start from scratch. We’re not going to rebuild everything overnight, and some things—like getting AI to understand our codebase—will take time,” von Ahn writes.

“However, we can’t wait until the technology is 100% perfect. We’d rather move with urgency and take occasional small hits on quality than move slowly and miss the moment.”

The CEO shared the company’s plans for the near future:

• “We’ll gradually stop using contractors to do work that AI can handle;
• AI use will be part of what we look for in hiring;
• AI use will be part of what we evaluate in performance reviews;
• Headcount will only be given if a team cannot automate more of their work
• Most functions will have specific initiatives to fundamentally change how they work.”

That being said, von Ahn stressed that Duolingo will “remain a company that cares deeply about its employees. This isn’t about replacing Duos with AI. It’s about removing bottlenecks so we can do more with the outstanding Duos we already have. We want you to focus on creative work and real problems, not repetitive tasks. We’re going to support you with more training, mentorship, and tooling for AI in your function.”

“Change can be scary, but I’m confident this will be a great step for Duolingo. It will help us better deliver on our mission—and for Duos, it means staying ahead of the curve in using this technology to get things done.”

The news from Duolingo sparked outrage online

Comments on social media criticizing Duolingo’s AI-first strategy and its impact on user retention.

User comment criticizing Duolingo language learning and cancellation, reflecting views on Duolingo AI-first strategy impact.

“Our investments in AI have also helped us accelerate content creation”

Not everyone was impressed by this shift toward an AI-first approach. Many Duolingo users took to social networks to share their disappointment.

Some wrote comments about how they are canceling their subscriptions, deleting their accounts, and uninstalling the app.

Others posted memes about the entire situation on platforms like TikTok. Still, others created videos and started online threads where they called out the company for this strategy.

According to a recent Duolingo report about its first quarter results of 2025, the company has seen great results.

“Q1 was an outstanding start to the year—we added more Daily Active Users this quarter than any in our history, highlighting the continued strength of our product and brand. We also surpassed 10 million paid subscribers and delivered 38% year-over-year revenue growth, driven by strong user momentum and increased adoption of our premium subscription tiers,” von Ahn said.

“As we look ahead, we’re excited about the momentum we’re seeing with Duolingo Max and its potential to drive both innovation and growth. Our investments in AI have also helped us accelerate content creation, and we believe we’re just beginning to scratch the surface of what we can offer our users.”

Meanwhile, TechCrunch reports that Duolingo is introducing 148 new language courses created by using generative AI.

What are your thoughts about the changes that Duolingo is making, embracing AI to such a great extent? Are you skeptical, optimistic, or waiting to see how this will affect the user experience? Are you a Duolingo veteran (hi!), or a new user, or have you never even touched the app? What are your thoughts about employees getting replaced by AI, no matter the industry? We’d love to hear your thoughts on this sensitive issue. Feel free to share your opinions in the comments section at the bottom of the article.

The backlash has been so strong that some people are reportedly ending their multi-year streaks

Person wearing sunglasses and headscarf holding Duolingo cake and flowers, referencing Duolingo AI-first strategy backlash.

Image credits: bett.ep

Social media post showing Duolingo subscription cancellation amid user backlash over AI-first strategy shift.

Image credits: drdamonyoung

Social media comment from a user explaining they left Duolingo after mass translator firings amid AI-first strategy changes.

User expressing frustration about Duolingo AI-first strategy and deciding to cancel a 1308-day subscription streak.

Screenshot of a social media post expressing disappointment with Duolingo’s AI-first strategy causing users to cancel.

User comment about deleting long Duolingo streak, expressing loss of motivation and daily tasks feeling like a chore.

That being said, not everyone is quite ready to give up on the app

Screenshot of a social media comment discussing AI labeled as the reincarnation of the devil and its widespread use.

Some people started suggesting alternatives for Duolingo

Screenshot of a social media comment discussing language learning platforms and mentioning Duolingo’s AI-first strategy.

User discussion about Duolingo’s AI-first strategy causing many users to switch to other language learning apps like Babel.

Here is the response from Duolingo’s CEO during a recent media interview

You can watch the full interview with the CEO right over here

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