Duolingo: Has the AI ​​Job Crisis Begun?

 The AI ​​Job Crisis Begun

Duolingo Reduced Its Contracting Force by 10% in 2023

Dulingo, the leading online language learning company, sparked controversy this week after revealing its plans to transform into an AI-focused company and replace a number of human contractors with intelligent technologies. Some consider this the actual beginning of an AI-induced jobs crisis.

Author and journalist Brian Merchant described this move as an indication that the AI ​​jobs crisis has already begun, according to a report published by TechCrunch.

He pointed out that this isn't a new policy within the company. Duolingo previously cut about 10% of its contracting workforce at the end of 2023, followed by a second round of cuts in October 2024, specifically targeting translators and writers who have been replaced by new technologies.

Is AI Displacing Emerging Jobs?

This trend is causing growing concern among recent college graduates, especially with reports published by The Atlantic about unusually high unemployment rates among recent graduates, amid suspicions that companies are eliminating entry-level jobs in favor of artificial intelligence, or redirecting their budgets to invest in automation technologies instead of hiring.

A disguised management crisis?

Merchant believes that what is happening is not the result of an uncontrolled technological revolution, but rather the result of a series of management decisions made by executives aimed at reducing labor costs and increasing control over their operations. This is evident in the declining incomes of workers in the creative industries, including writers, illustrators, and freelance artists.

The author likens the current scene to a silent layoff, as companies reduce staff numbers in favor of algorithms, while waving the banner of artificial intelligence first, as if heralding an unforgiving future for traditional jobs.