logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2024
17m 12s

If AI is so good, why are there still so...

NPR
About this episode
If you believe the hype, translators will all soon be out of work. Luis von Ahn, CEO and co-founder of the language learning app Duolingo, doesn't think AI is quite there... yet. In this interview, Greg Rosalsky talks with Luis about AI and how it's reshaping translation jobs and the language learning industry. We also ask him about headlines earlier this year suggesting Duolingo laid off some of its workers and replaced them with AI.

This is one of Greg's Behind The Newsletter conversations where he shares his interviews with policy makers, business leaders, and economists who appear in The Planet Money Newsletter.

This episode was first released as a bonus episode for Planet Money+ listeners earlier this year. We're sharing it today for all listeners. To hear more episodes like this one and support NPR in the process, sign up for Planet Money+ at
plus.npr.org. We'll have a fresh bonus episode out in two weeks!

You can sign up for the The Planet Money Newsletter and check out past editions here:
https://www.npr.org/planetmoneynewsletter

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Today
The continent nobody owns & everyone benefits from (Summer School)
This episode is packed with your best economic ideas from around the world and a penguin interview. It all comes together in this final session of Summer School 2026.Pack your parka, we’re headed to Antarctica. The continent nobody owns, but everyone benefits from and plenty of e ... Show More
40m 44s
Aug 21
Who decides what big box sells? Our GAME got us answers
There’s a room where the fates of retail products are decided. Will they make it onto the shelves of the big box stores? Usually the rest of us can’t get inside the room where decisions are made – until now! Today on the show, we pitch the Planet Money game, Sell Me a Sasquatch, ... Show More
37m 58s
Aug 19
Getting entrepreneurial in Korea (Summer School)
This week’s stop on our world tour - Korea. A country divided into two very different power structures since the end of WWII. Today South Korea is the maker of some of the world’s favorite exports – from Samsung TV’s to BTS. But 75 years ago it was a much different story. How the ... Show More
40m 8s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2025
Inside Duolingo’s Controversial ‘AI-First’ Strategy
When Duolingo’s CEO told staff he wanted the company to become an “AI-first” business, critics questioned if it was a euphemism for human layoffs. The WSJ Leadership Institute’s Belle Lin gets an update on how the pivot is working in practice. Also, workplace reporter Ray A. Smit ... Show More
10m 57s
Jun 2021
AI-assisted language translation: Context is king
Translators aren’t headed for obsolescence just yet. Computer-assisted language translation has come a long way, but for many jobs, you’ll still need a human in the loop to avoid inaccuracies, tone-deafness, and cultural insensitivity. Computer scientist Spence Green is president ... Show More
28m 8s
May 2023
What’s going on with AI? And will it take away my job?
Is AI coming for our jobs?? ‘Fast Company’ senior staff editor Max Ufberg explains that it is . . . but that it’s not all bad news. And Yaz chatted with Loom CEO Joe Thomas—Loom is essentially TikTok for business, which sounds crazier than it is—about how video conferencing is he ... Show More
27m 42s
Sep 2025
AI: Copilot or Job Killer? - An Interview With Eliman Dambell
Some CEOs brag about using AI to cut jobs. But there’s another way to see it.In this episode, I sit down with Eliman Dambell, co-founder of Savvio.ai and former London finance director turned crypto analyst. He brings a unique perspective on why “AI should be a copilot, not a rep ... Show More
31m 53s
Jun 2025
How the Smartest Founders Are Quietly Winning with AI
Episode 713: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk to Jason Lemkin ( https://x.com/jasonlk ) about cloning yourself with AI and how ChatGPT will be the end of incumbent apps. — Show Notes: (0:00) AI body doubles Users tell AI things t ... Show More
1h 17m
May 2024
Gen AI talent: Your next flight risk
<p>Active users of generative AI are high value and in demand—and in many cases, poised to quit. New <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/the-human-side-of-generative-ai-creating-a-path-to-productivity">research</a> rev ... Show More
28m 53s
Sep 2025
Is AI the reason graduates can’t get jobs?
Applying for jobs is TOUGH. First you’ve got to find the adverts and openings, then there’s the mental energy and time required to put in an application - and that’s before you get to the nerve wracking interviews. But some of us are finding that process even harder than normal - ... Show More
12m 40s