Duolingo this week announced its transition to an “AI-first” strategy and its intention to gradually replace contractors with generative AI. This decision has already sparked a wave of discussion in the media — journalist Bryan Merchant called this move evidence that the AI-driven job crisis has already arrived.
According to a former Duolingo contractor, the company began reducing collaboration with specialists as early as the end of last year — at that time, about ten percent of contractors lost their jobs, and their responsibilities were handed over to AI. In the fall of 2024, another wave of layoffs took place, affecting, in particular, writers and translators.
Information about rising unemployment among recent university graduates has also drawn attention — according to The Atlantic, one of the reasons may be the mass automation of entry-level office positions. Companies’ spending on implementing AI is increasingly displacing budgets for new human job openings.
Merchant emphasizes that the current changes are the result of management decisions aimed at reducing costs and centralizing control. The process is affecting creative industries, freelancers’ incomes, and corporations’ willingness to hire fewer employees.
