High confidence
Jan 8, 2024
Duolingo
~10% of contractor workforce
Attribution · verbatim quote
“We just 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 spokesperson (spokesperson)
Summary
Duolingo cut about 10% of its contractor base in early January 2024, with affected roles concentrated in translation. A company spokesperson acknowledged AI was 'part of' the rationale, while emphasising that human experts continued to validate AI-generated content. Workers reported being told their tasks were being absorbed by GPT-4.
Evidence notes
- · Quote sourced from Bloomberg / Washington Post coverage.
- · Duolingo disputes the 'layoff' framing for contractors but did not deny AI involvement.
- · Roles affected were primarily contract translators, not full-time staff.