SUPER Duolingo subscribers have been frustrated with the app’s latest changes.
In a recent post on Reddit, Duolingo users expressed their discontent with the app.
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The thread began with a Super Duolingo user who said they did not sign up for AI interpreters.
“I have been a Duolingo customer for many years, have a 984-day streak, and was in the 1% of top learners for 2023,” the thread reads.
“I am disappointed to learn that Duolingo is planning to lay off human interpreters and other employees and rely on AI-powered translations,” they added.
“I will be canceling my Super Duolingo subscription,” they concluded, before sharing an article for reference.
Earlier this month, Duolingo cut 10% of its contractors in a move to expand its use of AI, per Bloomberg Law.
Duolingo said that AI will increasingly be used to perform tasks like generating sentences for courses, producing lists of acceptable translations, and reviewing user error reports.
The company added that no full-time employees were involved in the layoffs.
“Generative AI is accelerating our work by helping us create new content dramatically faster,” CEO Luis von Ahn wrote in a November shareholder letter.
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Another point of contention for Duolingo users was the app’s removal of its discussion boards.
“I paid for two years but never again. Getting rid of the user discussions for the exercises was the last straw for me,” one Reddit user shared.
“I have used Duo on and off for years and just recently got the super and was sad to see the discussion boards gone,” another remarked.
Duolingo’s discussion boards were an online platform where native speakers and learners could exchange language tips, converse, and discuss resources.
The removal of the boards took effect on March 22nd, 2022, and Duolingo seemingly didn’t explain its decision.
However, in an interview in August 2022, Duolingo’s CEO, Luis von Ahn said the company wanted to simplify Duolingo and its user interface.
Still, many users found that without the forums, the app is “useless” and makes learning a new language harder.
Duolingo launched its platform to the general public on June 19, 2012, and has remained completely free.
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However, users have the option to upgrade to Super Duolingo for a fee of around $7 a month.
Most recently, the company announced a new tier called Duolingo Max, which costs $168 a year (or $30 if you pay monthly).
