Duolingo’s AI​ Push Divides Users and Investors

⁢ Updated June​ 06, 2025
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Duolingo’s aggressive shift toward artificial intelligence‍ has‌ created a split between Wall Street and its‌ user base. While the company’s stock price has ⁤reached record highs, some longtime users are ⁢leaving the platform, citing concerns about quality.

The language-learning company ⁣is⁤ betting ⁣big on AI, a move that has excited investors⁤ but also sparked ⁢criticism. CEO Luis von Ahn sees AI as a game-changer,⁢ similar to ⁤the mobile revolution that propelled Duolingo to success. However, some worry​ that this focus on technology‍ could alienate the users who‍ helped build the platform.

Duolingo’s AI integration has already ⁣produced results. ⁢In April,the ⁣company launched 148 new language courses⁢ using AI,expanding ⁢its offerings significantly. Von ⁣Ahn said this expansion, making seven languages available across 28 user interface languages, would have taken decades using conventional methods.

The market has responded⁤ positively.Duolingo’s ​stock jumped 22% after a strong first-quarter earnings report, with revenue exceeding⁣ expectations. The ‌company’s⁣ revenue forecast for​ the year also surpassed analysts’ predictions.

AI is also addressing some of Duolingo’s limitations. A new video‌ call feature ⁢with AI avatars aims to improve conversational ​practice, and the ‌expanded course offerings target the intermediate and​ advanced English learning market.

However,the rapid implementation of⁢ AI has led to quality control issues. Users of specialized‌ language courses ⁢have reported pronunciation errors and linguistic mistakes. One former‍ employee told journalist Brian Merchant that the AI system wasn’t ⁢ready to create⁢ lessons without human input, yet the company proceeded anyway.

Von Ahn acknowledged that quality ‍might suffer in the ⁣short term, prioritizing speed over accuracy. This approach is particularly risky for ⁢less popular ⁣languages, where human oversight is limited.

Despite⁤ these concerns, wall Street analysts remain optimistic ⁣about Duolingo’s ‌AI strategy. DA Davidson has set a $600 price target,⁣ and Morgan Stanley maintains​ an “overweight” rating.‌ Analysts note⁤ that ‌social media criticism hasn’t significantly impacted user growth, suggesting that the vocal critics may ‍be a minority.

Duolingo is investing in technical​ improvements and employee training⁣ to address the quality issues. The ⁣company hopes that the combination⁤ of content scaling, improved features, and efficiency will drive growth.However, if quality ⁢problems persist, the company’s ⁢valuation could be at risk.

What’s next

duolingo must improve its AI quality faster than it loses frustrated users. The ⁤company is ⁢investing in technical improvements ​to reduce ‌response latency and enhance accuracy, while implementing employee⁤ training ‌programs to ⁣better ‍integrate human oversight with AI systems.