Technology

if the labor cost goes down, the service should become cheaper.

if it worked like that, i'd love to have AI replace humans.

AI isn't the problem. capitalism is.

Maybe time to boycott the service (which anyway was not that spectacular)

The AI slop is why I quit Duolingo after my 1500+ day streak.

Let's also replace the customers by AI, that way the whole system will really be "AI first" and self-sufficient.

If you looking to replace dualingo, check with your local library, they may offer free access to different language learning apps. I was able to get Rosetta Stone for free using my library. And they also have access to Muzzy and Transparent language.

My son is going to be sad that we don't use duo anymore

So if they're using a ChatGPT wrapper to teach me languages, why do I need Duolingo? Copilot is free.

So they've killed themselves before adding Armenian.

Makes sense.

i cancelled my subscription and told them why

Apparently they've already been incorporating it and it's very inaccurate. I've decided to stop using them and have switched to LingoDeer and MemRise. Really pleased with how much better they are.

Duolingo has enshittified so much over the last few years.

Even if I had the ability to become a millionaire tech founder, I don't think I'd want to because every "I want to make learning new languages free and easy for everyone" becomes a "I have to drive 3% more ad revenue this quarter by charting my users' every bowel movement".

I suspect the reality of being a rich tech bro is watching your adult self slowly consume your own childhood dreams, aspirations, and soul.

Duolingo is a tragedy. They really quickly realized that you don’t make money teaching things - you make it on retention and gamification.

Mango languages is great if your library has a subscription. I believe the US’s foreign service materials are also really good, if you want effective but boring.

I have found Duolingo much, much less useful for language learning than Language Transfer. The latter actually helps you learn to think in another language rather than memorize things (which is still useful, but not nearly as much).

Short if total immersion, I have found nothing better than LT.

If you decide to cancel your subscription and delete your account, they give a warning when deleting that says you need to cancel your subscription SEPARATELY. Just a heads up for anyone thinking of leaving like I did.

Oh no! How will I pretend to learn a language now? Woe is me.

“Duolingo will remain a company that cares deeply about its employees”

Except for the contract employees. Fuck those people.

In 2012, we bet on mobile. [...] That decision helped us win the 2013 iPhone App of the Year and unlocked the organic word-of-mouth growth that followed. Betting on mobile made all the difference. We’re making a similar call now, and this time the platform shift is AI.

I think this is some sort of fallacy, not sure which tho. Maybe a hasty generalization? "We bet on mobile twelve years ago and won, so if we bet on AI now we'll also win."

*It also seems they're using AI to code... those poor programmers will have to double check every single line it shits out because you know, it's a fucking AI. Yet another company succumbs to a CEOs emotional FOMO.

It's okay. We can all play that game. I've replaced my use of Duolingo with AI.

Pro tip: have as your "system prompt" in your LLM of choice "at the end of every query, include me a short Swedish relates to my prompt". No need for Duolingo.