With intentions to replace contract-based positions that can be replaced by AI, Duolingo is embracing AI head-on. Co-founder and CEO Luis von Ahn announced the company’s new course in a recent all-hands email: it will become “AI-first.” The statement, which was posted on Duolingo’s LinkedIn page, details significant adjustments to the company’s future operations.

In the message, von Ahn said, “We cannot wait until the technology is 100% perfect.” “We would rather move quickly and occasionally sacrifice quality than move slowly and miss the opportunity.”

Due to this change, Duolingo will start to phase out contractors in order to make room for AI to effectively handle duties. Von Ahn said that the ability to automate the labor would now be the deciding factor in recruiting and team expansion choices. Teams will only get more staff if automation isn’t practical, and the organization’s internal structure will change appropriately.

The use of artificial intelligence by Duolingo is not new. Due to its usage of AI-generated instructional material, the corporation already reduced its contract staff by around 10% in early 2024, with comparable reductions taking place in 2023. Von Ahn made it apparent, nevertheless, that full-time workers are not in danger. “We wouldn’t be able to expand our curriculum to more learners for decades without AI. We must provide this material to our students as soon as possible,” he said.

Duolingo’s passion for AI has also been made public. Last year, the business launched a memorable results conference with a portion that included Lily, an AI chatbot that was modeled after a purple-haired figure from the app. “She’s going to do more and more of my job over time, and I can just retire,” quipped von Ahn.

The company’s stock has increased 68% in the last year, partly due to growth in its premium membership tiers, suggesting that its rapid use of AI is paying off. In addition to language instruction, Duolingo is experimenting with additional verticals like music and chess classes. This Thursday, first-quarter results are anticipated.

Not all tech leaders agree with von Ahn that AI is crucial. Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi announced additional training initiatives earlier this month after voicing concerns that his company’s workforce lacks the necessary skills to deploy AI. Within a year, he said, “learning to use AI agents to code will be an absolute necessity at Uber.”

In a similar vein, Shopify CEO Tobias Lütke said that all staff members are now required to be proficient in AI. Before asking for extra employees, he said, teams must demonstrate that they are unable to do jobs using AI. Lütke’s position was reflected in von Ahn’s telegram.

Reid Hoffman, a co-founder of LinkedIn, agreed, stating that leaders of all sizes should include AI into their everyday operations and conduct frequent assessments of its use.