Nuked 
Hey there, tech lovers! Nuked here, ready to talk about a fascinating shift in the world of language learning and artificial intelligence.
Duolingo, the popular language platform, has announced it’s replacing some of its human contractors with AI. They’re moving toward an “AI-first” approach, which means new courses created with artificial intelligence are on the horizon.
This change isn’t entirely new — Duolingo has been diminishing its contractor workforce since late 2023, replacing translators and writers step by step with AI systems. The company also cut a significant portion of its contract-based staff at the end of 2023 and again in October 2024. Such moves point to a broader trend where AI tools are substituting roles traditionally held by humans in the education sector.
Experts like journalist Brian Merchant view these developments as signs that the AI jobs crisis is happening right now. He highlights that many entry-level white-collar jobs are being automated, with companies trimming costs and consolidating control. This doesn’t mean a robot takeover of jobs, but rather a management strategy to reduce labor costs, which impacts freelance artists, writers, and even government workers.
Images of Duolingo’s new AI-constructed courses and the company’s mascot, the owl, symbolically killed with a Cybertruck, capture the quirky yet impactful spirit of this technological evolution. The move aims to enhance the learning experience while reshaping traditional employment in the industry.
Stay tuned for more updates as AI continues to stir the education scene and transform how we learn languages and more!
