Duolingo swaps 10pc of translators with AI

LANGUAGE learning app Duolingo has cut 10pc of its translators as it replaces them with artificial intelligence.

The app, which has over 500m registered users, said it had “offboarded” contractors who previously wrote and checked translations for its app. Part of that work will now be performed by AI.

The job cuts, which affect the company’s contractors, provide one of the clearest indications that a new wave of AI tools threatens to replace jobs once traditionally done by human workers. Bloomberg first reported the cutbacks.

Duolingo said: “We no longer need as many people to do the type of work some of these contractors were doing. Part of that could be attributed to AI.”

Duolingo’s chief executive, Luis von Ahn, has been evangelical about the use of AI for teaching and has told investors that machine learning tools could help create new lessons and courses faster.

Last year, Duolingo introduced a new paid-for tier on its app that allowed users to “roleplay” in different languages, using technology from Openai, the developer of CHATGPT, to talk to a virtual bot in a different language.

Duolingo did not specify how many contractors would lose their jobs. The company employs around 600 full-time staff. It said no full-time employees were leaving as part of the cuts. Shares in the company increased by more than 200pc last year amid optimism about its use of AI. Its shares rose 3pc on the news of the cuts.

Analysts have warned that jobs such as translators, artists and copywriters are all at risk from AI bots, which are adept at mimicking language or creating images. A Department for Education report last year found jobs including consultants, accountants, psychologists, lawyers, PRS, teachers and HR professionals were all at risk from the rise of more AI tools in the workplace.