Duolingo Layoffs: US-Based Language Learning Company Lays Off 10% of Its Contract Translators and Adopts Generative AI To Develop Its Content, Says Report
According to Dalsimer, AI was not intended to replace jobs. Instead, it would save translators time and allow them to concentrate on more difficult tasks.
San Francisco, January 9: US-based language learning app Duolingo has laid off 10 per cent of its contract translators as the company relies more on generative artificial intelligence (AI) to develop its content, the media reported. Duolingo stated that in some cases, the contractor's work has been completed, while in others, the work is being aided by AI, reports Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
"There is some merit to the idea that AI is contributing to the reduction of our contract workforce, but it would be an oversimplification to say this is the sole reason. We use AI for a variety of different functions and tasks," Sam Dalsimer, Duolingo’s global head of communications, was quoted as saying. IT Jobs in India: Hiring in Indian IT Sector Declines 21% in December 2023, AI Jobs See 5% Growth, Says Report.
Dalsimer mentioned that contract and staff employees are still closely involved in reviewing AI outputs for accuracy. These tasks include generating sentences and acceptable translations. In addition, he stated that the company tried to find alternate roles for the contractors affected by the changes.
Moreover, the report noted that Duolingo was planning to hire two new AI positions -- one to help personalise the tool, and another to refine its speech. According to Dalsimer, AI was not intended to replace jobs. Instead, it would save translators time and allow them to concentrate on more difficult tasks. ChatGPT in Cars: Volkswagen Announces To Bring AI Chatbot ‘ChatGPT’ Into Its Cars, To Be Integrated to Its IDA Voice Assistant.
In December last year, Duolingo revealed that more than 23 billion lessons were completed on the app in 2023, and over 8.4 million learners are actively studying 'Hindi' on the app. In its Language Report 2023, Duolingo mentioned nearly one and a half billion hours were spent learning on the app, and more than 32 million people worldwide studied more than one language this year.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 09, 2024 12:04 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).