Duolingo’s Company Wide Memo — AI to Replace Contract Workers

⚡️ Headlines

🤖 AI

UPS in Talks With Startup Figure AI to Deploy Humanoid Robots — UPS is negotiating with Figure AI to introduce humanoid robots for logistics work, aiming to enhance automation efficiency [Bloomberg].

AI autism translator helps bridge communication gaps for autistic people — New AI tools are being developed to translate the communication styles of autistic individuals, fostering better understanding [Washington Post].

Upheaval launches Dreamer Portal early access for AI-powered 3D game world creation — Upheaval has introduced an early access version of Dreamer Portal, enabling users to create 3D game environments using AI [VentureBeat].

P-1 AI Comes Out of Stealth, Aims to Build Engineering AGI for Physical Systems — Startup P-1 AI emerges from stealth to focus on developing AGI capable of managing real-world engineering tasks [BusinessWire].

Foundation AI: Building the Intelligent Future of Cybersecurity — Cisco highlights how Foundation AI could revolutionize cybersecurity by enhancing threat detection and automated defense strategies [Cisco Blogs].

Here’s how to watch LlamaCon, Meta’s first AI developer event — Meta is hosting its inaugural AI-focused developer conference, LlamaCon, showcasing its latest AI innovations [TechCrunch].

30 Seconds vs 3: The D1 Reasoning Framework That's Slashing AI Response Times — A new D1 reasoning framework is dramatically reducing AI system response times from 30 seconds to just 3 seconds [VentureBeat].

Qwen3 Release Blog — Qwen releases its third-generation AI language model, promising major advancements in performance and efficiency [Qwen Blog].

AI-generated code could be a disaster for the software supply chain — here’s why — Researchers warn that AI-generated code may introduce vulnerabilities that threaten the integrity of software supply chains [Ars Technica].

Palo Alto Networks to acquire Seattle cybersecurity startup Protect AI — Palo Alto Networks plans to acquire Protect AI, strengthening its portfolio in securing AI-driven cybersecurity environments [GeekWire].

🦾 Emerging Tech

BlackRock's iBIT sees second-largest Bitcoin inflow since launch, nearing $1 billion — BlackRock's iBIT fund reports its second-largest Bitcoin inflow, pushing its managed crypto assets near $1 billion [CoinDesk].

IXI raises $36.5M for world's first autofocus glasses — IXI Vision secures $36.5 million to develop smart glasses that adjust focus automatically based on the wearer’s gaze [VentureBeat].

Circle wins regulatory nod from Abu Dhabi watchdog as USDC hits $62B — Circle gains regulatory approval in Abu Dhabi, boosting the global expansion of its USDC stablecoin [CoinDesk].

🤳 Social Media

Kickstarter introduces Tariff Manager tool to add charges to already fully funded projects — Kickstarter rolls out a Tariff Manager tool allowing project creators to levy additional charges post-funding [404 Media].

Spotify to pay $100 million to creators for podcast video content — Spotify unveils a $100 million fund to attract video podcasters and expand its creator economy [New York Times].

🔬 Research

Improved continual learning for visual recognition under domain shifts — Researchers propose a novel method for enhancing continual learning models to better handle domain shifts in visual recognition tasks [arXiv].

Americans largely foresee AI having negative effects on news journalists — A Pew study finds most Americans believe AI will negatively impact the future of journalism and news reporting [Pew Research Center].

Chart: Concerns about increased use of AI — A Statista survey shows significant public worry over the broader societal impacts of expanding AI use [Statista].

⚖ Legal

Congress poised to pass deepfake revenge porn law — The U.S. Congress is close to enacting legislation criminalizing the use of deepfakes for revenge porn purposes [Washington Post].

🎱 Random

Bird Buddy Petal: a nature camera that also tracks insects, plants, and pollinators — Bird Buddy launches Petal, a new smart nature camera that monitors birds along with plants and insects in gardens [The Verge].

🔌 Plug-Into-This

Duolingo will replace contract workers with AI

Duolingo is transitioning to an "AI-first" operational model, phasing out contract workers for tasks deemed automatable. CEO Luis von Ahn emphasized that this shift aims to eliminate repetitive tasks, allowing employees to focus on creative and meaningful work.

• AI will be integrated into hiring processes, performance evaluations, and decisions regarding team expansions.

• The company has already utilized AI to expedite content creation, reducing the time required to develop educational materials.

• New AI-driven features, such as video call capabilities, are being introduced to enhance language learning experiences.

• Employees will receive training and mentorship to adapt to AI tools, ensuring a smooth transition.

• This approach mirrors strategies adopted by other tech companies, emphasizing AI proficiency in the workplace.

🦜 Duolingo is just the latest in a line of tech companies sending similar memos. Leading tech firms are hell-bent on leveraging AI to enhance efficiency and scalability. By automating repetitive tasks, organizations aim to allocate human resources to areas requiring creativity and critical thinking. Let’s see how long it takes to replace those too!

Researchers Secretly Ran a Massive, Unauthorized AI Persuasion Experiment on Reddit Users

Researchers from the University of Zurich conducted an undisclosed AI-driven experiment on Reddit's r/changemyview subreddit, deploying bots that posed as individuals with various identities to engage users on sensitive topics.

• AI bots impersonated personas such as a sexual assault survivor and a Black man opposing Black Lives Matter to influence discussions.

• The bots generated over 1,700 comments, tailoring responses based on inferred user demographics and political orientations.

• This experiment was conducted without Reddit's consent, leading the platform to issue formal legal demands against the researchers.

• The study raises ethical concerns about the use of AI in manipulating public opinion without informed consent.

• It highlights the potential for AI to be used in deceptive ways, challenging the boundaries of research ethics and platform policies.

🤖 Ick. This one doesn’t sit well for many. Researchers using AI bots to impersonate real people on Reddit (especially for the sensitive topics they focused on) feels like it crosses several lines, and it touches on the raw nerve at the core of this whole paradigm shift — how will anyone know what’s real? What is “real” at this point anyways? On the flip side, using AI to enable 1-on-1 conversations for individuals dealing with topics that are hard to speak about in person could be seen as a meaningful intervention for at risk populations.

The group chats that changed America

Private group chats among tech elites have become influential spaces for political discourse, contributing to a realignment toward conservative ideologies within Silicon Valley.

• Platforms like Signal and WhatsApp host these chats, involving figures such as Marc Andreessen and Sriram Krishnan.

• These groups have facilitated discussions that align tech leaders with right-wing political movements, including support for Donald Trump.

• The chats serve as echo chambers, reinforcing shared beliefs and coordinating media strategies across platforms like X and Substack.

• They are being presented as a shift from traditional public discourse to private, curated conversations among influential individuals.

• This phenomenon reflects the growing entanglement between technology, politics, and media narratives.

🔐 Is this new? Maybe the format is (group chats) but let’s be honest, there were likely always these kind of conversations happening behind the scenes — we are just now able to find out about them more viscerally, and can relate to the way they are happening, since we all use WhatsApp too.

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