I'm embarrassed to admit this in my mid-forties, but I've never understood chess well enough to play a full game. My son and daughter both learned how to play in elementary school. I was glad they had that experience. I tried to pick up the game when they did, but, as a busy mom of three little kids, I just didn't have the time, the interest, or the stamina to really sit down and learn. Chess became more popular during the pandemic, and the boom has stuck around; according to a recent Yougov.com

Before Duolingo wiped its videos from TikTok and Instagram in mid-May, social media engagement was one of the language-learning app's most recognizable qualities. Its green owl mascot had gone viral multiple times and was well known to younger users--a success story other marketers envied. But, when news got out that Duolingo was making the switch to become an "AI-first" company, planning to replace contractors who work on tasks generative AI could automate, public perception of the brand soured. Young people started posting on social media about how they were outraged at Duolingo as they performatively deleted the app--even if it meant losing the precious streak awards they earned through continued, daily usage. The comments on Duolingo's TikTok posts in the days after the announcement were filled with rage, primarily focused on a single aspect: workers being replaced with automation.

Simon Suh Department of Technology and Society Stony Brook University [Abstract] Driven by the global shift towards online learning prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a pivotal player in the field of education. Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) offer a new method of personalized teaching, replacing the limitations of traditional teaching methods. However, concerns arise about the ability of AI tutors to address skill development and engagement during the learning process. In this paper, I will conduct a quasi-experiment with paired-sample t-test on 34 students pre-and post-use of AI tutors in language learning platforms like Santa and Duolingo to examine the relationship between students' engagement, academic performance, and students' satisfaction during a personalized language learning experience. Keywords: Artificial Intelligence; Academic Performance; ITS Education; Student Engagement; Language Learning; Personalized Learning; Student Satisfaction 1. Introduction The educational landscape is undergoing a transformative shift with the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Technologies like Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS), specifically designed to provide individualized instruction and feedback to learners (Sedlmeier, 2002), play a crucial role in this transformation, steering the educational landscape towards the Application of Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIEd) (Thomas et al., 2023). As the accessibility and diversity of AI technologies increase, this holds a significant potential to personalize learning experiences and unlock the educational potential of each student by fostering a more efficient and effective learning process (Rane, 2023).

Duolingo is now going to be "AI-first," the company has announced -- aka it will drop employees in favor of using AI. In a publicly shared email, CEO Luis von Ahn outlined how Duolingo will "gradually stop using contractors to do work that AI can handle." This follows the company's January 2024 decision to cut 10 percent of its contractors, in part because AI could do their tasks. In the email, von Ahn points to Duolingo's "need to create a massive amount of content, and doing that manually doesn't scale. One of the best decisions we made recently was replacing a slow, manual content creation process with one powered by AI. Without AI, it would take us decades to scale our content to more learners. We owe it to our learners to get them this content ASAP."

There's a good chance learning a new language is one of your New Year's resolutions, unless you're hoping Google Translate will be enough for your next international adventure. Either way, you'll need a reliable method to guide you through speaking and understanding the foreign language of your choosing. Fortunately, we're no longer confined to flashcards and textbooks as you can learn using your phone from the comfort of your couch. Many of the best language learning apps today offer a multi-tier approach, with AI-powered conversations, extensive vocab libraries and even podcasts you can listen to to help you master your target language. Whether you're just starting because you're just trying to understand what Bad Bunny means when he says "un verano en Nueva Yol," or you want to brush up on your Korean before that planned vacation, there's a language learning app to suit your needs.

So far, 2024 is off to a start that looks a lot like 2023--with a week full of job cuts from tech companies. Duolingo cut 10 percent of its contractors earlier this week, citing artificial intelligence as part of the reason. Twitch announced a cut of 500 people, and its parent company, Amazon, also made moves to lay off hundreds of employees across Prime Video and MGM Studios on Wednesday. Google followed, also laying off hundreds of employees working on its Google Voice assistant, with additional reorganization affecting its hardware teams working on augmented reality, the Pixel phone, Fitbit watches, and the Nest thermostat. On Thursday, Discord said it would lay off 17 percent of its staff after hiring too quickly in recent years.

Duolingo has cut 10 percent of its contractors and using AI tools to handle the tasks they used to do, Bloomberg reports. "We just no longer need as many people to do the type of work some of these contractors were doing," a spokesperson told the news organization without saying what they did for the company exactly. "Part of that could be attributed to AI." As Bloomberg notes, Chief Executive Officer Luis von Ahn told shareholders in November that the company is using AI to create new content, such as scripts, "dramatically faster." Duolingo also relies on AI to generate the voices users hear in-app.

Duolingo, the maker of language-learning software, is cutting some contractors as the app uses generative artificial intelligence to create more content. About 10% of contractors were "offboarded," a company spokesperson said Monday. "We just no longer need as many people to do the type of work some of these contractors were doing. Part of that could be attributed to AI," the spokesperson said. CEO Luis von Ahn said during an August earnings call that the company is using generative AI to "speed up" scripts for the app "and to more efficiently scale our course content."

Artificial intelligence (AI) has touched every aspect of our life, and there are several AI tools at our disposal that may make a variety of daily activities easier. These artificial intelligence solutions can assist you in streamlining your work processes, increasing productivity, and making your life easier. Grammarly is an AI-powered writing assistant that offers real-time grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style recommendations to assist people in becoming better writers. It also has an integrated plagiarism checker. There are desktop, mobile, and web versions of the app. For everyone who writes frequently, Grammarly can make life simpler.

Education technology company Udemy has been selling language learning modules made with ChatGPT to help language teachers design their courses. Duolingo, the popular online language learning company, is relying on AI technology to power its Duolingo English Test (DET), an English proficiency exam available online, on demand. The test utilizes ChatGPT to generate text passages for reading comprehension and AI for supporting human proctors in spotting suspicious test-taking behavior. It is also working with teachers to generate lesson content and speed up the process and scale of adding advanced materials to the platform. "Since not everyone in the world has equal access to great teachers and favorable learning conditions, AI gives us the best chance to scale quality education to everyone who needs it," said Klinton Bicknell, Duolingo's head of AI.