Duolingo embraces AI to expand beyond languages and grow global user base

Duolingo uses AI to offer new courses and scale internationally, targeting markets like China while avoiding ad overload.

An illustration photo shows the Duolingo language learning app icon displayed on a smartphone in Quimper, western France, on May 12, 2025. Photo by Fred Tanneau/AFP

By Alana Salsabila and Widya Putri

Duolingo embraces AI in a bold push to expand its reach beyond language education, aiming to offer a broader set of learning tools and appeal to an even wider global audience. Chief Financial Officer Matt Skaruppa revealed that the company’s strategy involves leveraging artificial intelligence to create and scale content across new subject areas while deepening engagement in fast-growing international markets like China.

Building more with less: AI powers Duolingo’s course explosion

Speaking in an interview with Bloomberg’s Chief Future Officer, Skaruppa described the company’s evolving vision of becoming a “human tutor in your pocket.” By integrating generative AI into its development process, Duolingo has already achieved a milestone in content expansion. In April, the edtech giant released 148 new courses—more than doubling the number of non-English language offerings in just one year.

This surge in content was made possible by Duolingo’s strategic investment in AI tools. One example is its use of the Cursor AI coding tool, which enabled two non-engineers to develop a prototype for a chess course. That concept has since progressed to a full beta version now available to users.

“We’re using AI in ways to create massively more content than we could otherwise create,” Skaruppa said, emphasizing that artificial intelligence enables a speed and scale that human developers alone could not match.

A deeper look at Duolingo’s AI ambitions

At the heart of this push is not just quantity, but an attempt to simulate personalized learning. Duolingo’s most prominent AI-powered feature is Lily, a digital character that engages users in spoken conversations in their target language. According to Skaruppa, Lily has been instrumental in converting free users into paying subscribers. “That feature sold itself,” he said, noting a significant spike in premium memberships after its rollout.

Duolingo’s broader AI ambitions seem to move it closer to becoming a general educational platform. While language learning remains the company’s core offering, features like the chess course suggest a roadmap that includes other cognitive and strategic skills. Generative AI opens the door to content creation in virtually any field where structured learning paths can be defined.

Controversy over quality control

Despite the impressive expansion, not all feedback has been positive. Some long-time users have voiced concerns over what they perceive as a sacrifice of quality for scale. On platforms like Reddit and TikTok, Duolingo has been criticized for introducing hastily assembled courses, some of which allegedly suffer from errors or lack depth.

The backlash reached a new level when the company's main TikTok account lost more than 300,000 followers, a drop attributed in part to user frustration over these quality issues. Some subscribers even threatened to cancel their premium memberships, suggesting that the AI-powered updates have yet to fully meet community expectations.

Skaruppa acknowledged the criticism but stood by the company’s direction. He suggested that while rapid development is not without its flaws, the net benefits—especially in accessibility and user engagement—outweigh the drawbacks. The challenge now, he said, is to balance innovation with consistent quality across the platform.

Focus on China and international growth

Duolingo’s AI expansion is also closely tied to its international strategy. While the platform is already a household name in the U.S. and parts of Europe, its leadership sees significant growth potential in emerging markets, particularly China.

“The Chinese market is growing fast and proving lucrative,” Skaruppa said. Although users in China still represent a smaller portion of Duolingo’s global base, they show strong demand for English learning and are willing to invest heavily in education. “Not only are there a lot of English learners in the market, but they spend a lot of money on English learning,” he added.

This focus on global markets is supported by the company’s commitment to multilingual course development. With AI tools, Duolingo can rapidly generate language learning content tailored to non-English speakers, thereby reducing the time and cost required to serve each new demographic.

No to ads—for now

Another noteworthy element of Duolingo’s strategy is its ongoing resistance to ad expansion. In an industry increasingly reliant on advertising revenue, Duolingo has deliberately limited its use of ads to preserve the user experience.

Skaruppa said the company could “increase sales at the drop of a hat” by adding more advertising options but sees this as misaligned with its long-term goals. The leadership team, he noted, remains committed to a premium experience that avoids disrupting learning with excessive commercial content.

By focusing on subscriptions and value-added AI features, Duolingo is differentiating itself from other ad-saturated edtech apps. This approach may also reinforce user loyalty and help sustain the platform's reputation in the competitive educational technology landscape.

What’s next for Duolingo?

As Duolingo embraces AI and scales up course offerings beyond traditional language education, the company is positioning itself as more than just a language app. With AI at the center of its growth model, Duolingo is betting that personalized, interactive learning experiences can draw millions more users worldwide—and turn them into paying subscribers.

Still, the success of this strategy will depend on whether Duolingo can strike the right balance between scale and substance. As new courses roll out and new subjects emerge, users will be watching closely to see whether the platform can deliver on its promise of a smarter, more global, and more comprehensive learning experience.

The road ahead will test not just the capabilities of AI, but also Duolingo’s ability to maintain quality and user trust in the face of rapid expansion.

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