Duolingo deletes all TikTok videos due to backlash over its 'AI first' policy, then reposts them and the CEO and social media team face off
Louis von Ahn, developer of the free language learning app '
Duolingo deletes all its TikTok videos after AI backlash—and then returns with a strange message - Fast Company
https://www.fastcompany.com/91338068/duolingo-deletes-tiktok-ai-backlash-returns-with-strange-message
Duolingo Faces Massive Social Media Backlash After 'AI-First' Comments - Slashdot
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/25/05/25/0347239/duolingo-faces-massive-social-media-backlash-after-ai-first-comments
Von Ahn said, 'The way to rethink the way the company works is not to make small adjustments to a system designed for humans,' but to make major changes to the company's systems, explaining that the AI-first system is necessary. As part of the changes, Duolingo announced restrictions such as 'changing how it works with contract employees,' 'considering the use of AI in hiring and performance evaluations,' and 'allowing teams to retain staff only if they cannot further automate their work.' However, Von Ahn also explained that 'Duolingo will continue to be a company that values its employees,' and said that the company's AI-first approach is 'not to replace employees with AI.'
Duolingo CEO announces that as part of its 'AI first' initiative, the company will stop using contract workers for tasks that can be handled by AI, but also explains that it does not intend to replace employees with AI - GIGAZINE
As a result of the AI-first issue being reported, Duolingo received a lot of criticism on its social media accounts. Duolingo temporarily made all posts private after millions of followers on TikTok and Instagram were inundated with negative messages about the AI-first issue.
At the time of writing, the post had been re-released, but the critical comments about AI-first remained. For example, the TikTok video below, titled 'Mom, can I have a cookie?', has received many comments unrelated to the video, such as 'Mom, can you leave your company to real people?' and 'Mom, why did you fire all your staff and replace them with AI?'
A few days after making the SNS posts private, Duolingo released the following video. In this video, which begins with 'HELLO WORLD,' a person claiming to be from Duolingo's social team says, 'With just one post about AI, the rulers have destroyed the empire that our team has built up,' echoing the criticism of AI-first.
Then, on May 22, 2025, a movie was released in which Mr. Von Ahn appeared and confronted the 'Social Team Rebel'. In response to the rebel's questions such as 'Will humans remain in this company?' and 'Will they replace us as soon as the online criticism subsides?', Mr. Von Ahn replied, 'We plan to actually increase the number of employees in the future. Our goal is to enable employees to achieve more and reach more people with the help of AI.' In addition, in response to the question 'Do you regret posting on LinkedIn?', Mr. Von Ahn said, 'To be honest, I think sending that email was a mistake,' acknowledging that the AI-first policy was correct, but that there was a problem with the announcement.
In response to the criticism, Duolingo pointed out that 'much of this feedback comes from people who don't understand what AI-first means,' and said, 'To be clear, AI is not a replacement for learning experts. It is a tool to make Duolingo better. We are committed to using AI with human oversight to fulfill our mission of providing the world's best education to everyone.' Regarding the reason for temporarily deleting the social media post and restoring it a few days later, he explained, 'Sometimes the best way to make a fuss is to disappear first.'
Fast Company, which reported on the matter, responded to Duolingo's new posts and comments by saying, 'The current criticism is something Duolingo can't avoid by whitewashing. Duolingo has yet to seriously address the AI-first approach that has sparked the backlash.'
Finally, von Ahn reposted the AI-first vision on LinkedIn with 'more detailed context.' The post read, 'To be clear, I do not see AI as replacing our employees' work. AI is a tool to accelerate our work with the same or better quality. The faster we learn how to use AI and use it responsibly, the better the results will be in the long run. My goal is to ensure Duolingo's employees are empowered and prepared to embrace this technology,' without mentioning whether employees will actually be replaced by AI, but emphasizing that AI will bring innovation to work.
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