Uncanny Valley | WIRED
Episode: The Myth That AI Will Replace Language Learning
Host: Katie Drummond, WIRED Global Editorial Director
Guest: Luis von Ahn, CEO & Co-founder, Duolingo
Date: March 31, 2026
Overview
In this episode, Katie Drummond sits down with Duolingo CEO and co-founder Luis von Ahn to examine the widely discussed notion that artificial intelligence will make language learning obsolete. From the impact of generative AI to Duolingo’s mission, Von Ahn reflects on his journey from Guatemala to leading a global edtech company, and explores the intersection of technology, education, and human motivation. The conversation uncovers the resilience of the desire to learn, the real-world limits of AI in education, and Duolingo’s philosophy for scaling accessible learning worldwide.
Key Themes & Discussion Points
1. AI, Language Learning, and Human Motivation
- AI’s Role in Learning: Despite advances allowing for real-time translation (e.g., via AirPods), demand for language learning on Duolingo hasn’t waned—in fact, it's increased.
- “We have not seen the desire to learn a language go down at all. In fact, we've seen it increase.” — Luis von Ahn [05:30]
- Motivation Beyond Utility: Many users learn languages as a hobby, regardless of machine translation’s capabilities—the comparison to chess illustrates this well.
- “Whether a computer can do something or not doesn’t matter for a hobby...People really want to learn chess. That's just so. It kind of doesn't matter.” — Luis von Ahn [05:53]
- Socioeconomic Drivers: For half of Duolingo’s users, learning English is a path to economic opportunity.
- “If you live in a non English speaking country and you're a waiter and you learn English, you can become a waiter at a hotel that pays better.” — Luis von Ahn [06:15]
2. Von Ahn’s Background and the Mission of Duolingo
- Early Years in Guatemala: Raised during civil war in Guatemala City, Von Ahn experienced the disparities in educational opportunity firsthand.
- Education as an Equalizer (or Divider): Attending an elite school despite a middle-class background revealed to Von Ahn how education both opens doors and perpetuates inequality.
- “A lot of people talk about education... as the thing that can bring social classes together. I always saw it as the opposite because of that. Generally wealthy people can get themselves much better educations.” — Luis von Ahn [09:21]
- Duolingo’s Mission: To democratize education by offering high-quality learning to everyone—refugees and billionaires use the same platform.
- “More money cannot buy you a better system. And that’s exactly what we wanted to do.” — Luis von Ahn [10:52]
3. Scaling Duolingo: Company Growth, Leadership Challenges, and Pittsburgh Roots
- Growth as a CEO: Von Ahn’s role transformed from micromanaging a handful of employees to leading nearly 1,000; this shift involved tough lessons around directness and people management.
- [Firing an employee] “The first person...I had to do so three times because...they came back the next day. The third time, I think I was even a little mean. I was like, you're being fired. Do you realize that?” — Luis von Ahn [19:14]
- Why Pittsburgh? Education as a focus was easier to maintain outside of trend-chasing Silicon Valley; the city provided unique talent “better than the company” thanks to circumstance.
- “It’s been a blessing that we have been kind of left alone.” — Luis von Ahn [21:02]
4. AI at Duolingo: Internal Philosophy and Public Misconceptions
- “AI First” Strategy: Duolingo’s shift to AI-first (2025 memo) was misinterpreted externally as a move to replace staff; internally, it was a continuation of the company’s tech-driven ethos. Notably, Duolingo has never conducted layoffs.
- “We have this internal...‘golden rule of AI’: we use AI to help our learners. That's it.” — Luis von Ahn [25:07]
- AI as a Supplement, Not Replacement: AI can support—rather than substitute—teachers, especially where qualified educators are lacking.
- “Does not mean replacing teachers. We don’t want to. Teachers inspire people. But...there are many people who don’t have access to a good teacher.” — Luis von Ahn [28:28]
- Motivation Is the Biggest Challenge: Technology alone does not keep learners engaged; Duolingo’s key advantage is gamification and motivation.
- “The hardest thing about teaching somebody anything is keeping them motivated...We keep you motivated.” — Luis von Ahn [31:50]
5. Balancing Mission, Monetization, and Growth as a Public Company
- Free vs. Paid Users: About 10% pay for Duolingo; the “mission-driven” approach relies on scale, not squeezing revenue from every user.
- Product Decisions Prioritize User Experience Long-Term: Recent internal policy halts experiments that trade user experience for short-term monetization—even at the expense of slower revenue growth.
- “We have stopped any kind of experiment that hurts user experience in exchange for monetization.” — Luis von Ahn [35:34]
- Investor Communication: Von Ahn is candid about the company’s long-term strategy, aiming for a billion engaged users over maximizing short-term profits.
- “I fundamentally believe...the biggest possible return we can give you is if we are building a company that will try to have a billion active users.” — Luis von Ahn [38:34]
6. Philanthropy, Democracy, and Immigrant Perspective
- Von Ahn’s Foundation: Focuses on improving education (especially for girls), environment, and democracy in Guatemala.
- “Education is just something I really want to do...we’re supporting a bunch of schools that are girls only that are doing incredible work.” — Luis von Ahn [39:47]
- Supporting Free Press: Invested in Guatemala’s investigative newspaper La Hora to sustain democracy—even at a financial loss.
- “It’s the largest newspaper that still does investigative reporting in Guatemala. I think it's really important for democracy.” — Luis von Ahn [41:32]
- Immigration & Inclusion: As an immigrant CEO, Von Ahn is concerned with ensuring Duolingo’s international employees feel safe and welcome amid challenging US immigration dynamics.
7. Looking Forward: Next for Duolingo and the Future of EdTech
- Long-Term Vision: Aiming for a “significant fraction” of humanity learning on Duolingo—expanding beyond languages to subjects like chess, math, music, and potentially science.
- “I really do believe we are a better alternative to social media...the phone screen...should be good time.” — Luis von Ahn [44:57]
- Challenging Social Media: Competing with addictive platforms by making learning enjoyable and sticky.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- “I'd rather not have that happen.” — On whether AI should replace teachers or nurses [01:53]
- “More money cannot buy you a better system.” — On Duolingo’s egalitarian approach [10:52]
- “The first person that I had to let go...I had to do so three times because...they came back the next day.” — On early management foibles [19:14]
- “Internally, this memo was not controversial...We’ve always leaned in on this [AI].” — On the controversial “AI-first” company memo [24:16]
- “The hardest thing about teaching somebody anything is keeping them motivated...That’s the thing we’re really good at.” — On Duolingo’s core advantage [31:50]
- “I am just not a fan...I would delete anything related to cryptocurrencies.” — On his Control-Alt-Delete game answer [47:58]
Timestamps: Important Segments
- [03:40] — Duolingo’s origin and the shift from crowdsourced translation to global learning platform
- [05:30] — Why demand for language learning persists in an AI world
- [09:21] — Education as a divider, not just an equalizer, and Duolingo’s mission
- [18:55] — Early leadership struggles, learning to be direct as a CEO
- [21:02] — Choosing Pittsburgh over Silicon Valley for Duolingo HQ
- [24:16] — The “AI-first” strategy and public backlash
- [28:28] — Clarifying that AI supplements, not replaces, teachers
- [31:50] — The importance of motivation in learning and why AI platforms alone won’t suffice
- [35:34] — Commitment to long-term user experience over short-term monetization
- [39:47] — Von Ahn’s philanthropic work in Guatemala
- [44:41] — The vision for Duolingo’s future and new subject ambitions
- [46:38] — Control-Alt-Delete: Von Ahn’s rapid-fire technological choices
- [47:58] — Wanting to delete cryptocurrencies
Conclusion
This episode punctures the myth that AI will make learning languages obsolete, revealing instead that the human desire to learn, connect, and self-improve remains strong—even as the tools change. Duolingo’s blend of technology, psychology, and mission-driven philosophy underlines that AI is a supplement, not a substitute, for deep and joyful learning. Von Ahn embodies WIRED’s big-question curiosity, pushing listeners to consider not just what technology can do, but what it should do—for individuals, for society, and for the future of education.