'Were trying to push something that in some cases did not fit' Duolingos CEO changes course on AI at work

Date:
Wed, 15 Apr 2026 08:29:30 +0000

Description:
Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn belatedly acknowledges that measuring AI usage for performance reviews distracts from completing the actual job.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Tech Radar Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Become a Member in Seconds Unlock instant access to exclusive member
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your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Join the club Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards. Explore An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter Duolingo CEO says company has scrapped plans to factor AI usage into employee performance reviews CEO Luis von Ahn admitted to change after significant internal confusion and pushback Employees worried that the policy risked prioritizing tool use over actual work outcomes Duolingo's CEO promises the company will no longer move toward centering performance evaluations on how much employees use AI for work. Luis von Ahn has repeated a half-embarrassed mea culpa over his initial very vocal enthusiasm in pushing Duolingo toward
an AI-first future. AI hasn't left the office entirely, but efforts to
measure how much employees use the technology are being scaled back to a more pragmatic level.

At the end, we backtracked, and we said, No. Look, the most important thing
in your performance is that you are doing whatever your job is as well as possible. A lot of times, AI can help you with that. But if it cant, Im not going to force you to do that, von Ahn said in a new episode of the Silicon Valley Girl podcast . It felt like rather than being held accountable for the actual outcome, were trying to just push something that in some cases did not fit. Policy outpaces practice The original idea didn't seem too outlandish at first blush. If AI is going to transform work, employees should use it, and companies should track that usage to ensure they keep up. Article continues below You may like Why AI adoption isnt just a tech problem, but a retention risk What we lose when AI starts doing all our thinking at work Microsoft CEO encourages making AI useful lest people lose patience

Duolingo leaned into that logic with an internal push to become AI-first. The company tested making AI usage a factor in performance reviews. But those
same employees began to question what exactly was being measured. Was demonstrating that they were using AI wherever possible, the same as actually improving their work? Tools that were meant to help begin to feel like requirements.

The result, according to von Ahn, was a mismatch between what the company intended and what employees experienced. AI reset Duolingos retreat comes as many companies are grappling with similar questions. Across the tech
industry, there has been a rush to integrate AI into everyday work, often accompanied by internal targets or expectations around adoption. What remains unsettled is how to measure success. Counting usage is easy. Measuring impact is harder.

AI is still part of the companys strategy, but it is no longer a proxy for performance. Now, von Ahn said, the emphasis is back where most employees expected it to be in the first place. Work is evaluated on quality and results, not on whether a particular tool was used along the way. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

AI may be powerful, but it is not universally applicable. There are moments when it improves output and moments when it does not. Forcing it into every corner of a workflow risks flattening that distinction.

Von Ahn has long argued that AI should enhance human effort rather than replace it, a point he has repeated in various interviews as the company
faced backlash over its earlier messaging. His latest comments reinforce that position, even as they acknowledge that the path to integrating AI is not as straightforward as early enthusiasm suggested.

The adjustment won't resolve the bigger concerns around how AI is changing work. Still, any shift toward something more sustainable and human-friendly
is a good sign. Even if it's just switching from asking employees to prove they are using the latest tools to making sure they are leveraging them when appropriate. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to
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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/ai-platforms-assistants/were-trying-to-push-somethin g-that-in-some-cases-did-not-fit-duolingos-ceo-changes-course-on-ai-at-work


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