No Priors: Artificial Intelligence | Technology | Startups Gaming as the Future of Education with Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn
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May 8, 2025 
Join Luis von Ahn, the visionary founder and CEO of Duolingo, as he discusses the future of education through gamification and AI. With over 116 million monthly users, Duolingo is reshaping learning by making it more engaging and personalized. Luis shares insights on why motivation is key, how lessons are optimized for engagement, and the controversial shift to an AI-first approach. Plus, he reveals exciting expansions into subjects beyond languages, including chess and math, all while maintaining a fun and adaptive learning experience.
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Gamifying Language Learning Origin
- Luis von Ahn and his co-founder struggled to motivate themselves to learn each other's languages using their own app.
- This led them to transform Duolingo into a game to make language learning more engaging for average users.
Short Lessons Boost Engagement
- Break lessons into short, two-minute segments to lower the barrier for starting learning.
- Short lessons reduce hesitation and increase the total time users spend learning.
Unexpected Motivators in Learning
- Streaks, or consecutive days of use, are an extremely powerful motivator for learners.
- Passive aggressive notifications that admit failure to re-engage users surprisingly boost return rates.