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Duolingo Embraces AI, Trims Contractors Amidst Efficiency Drive

By
Samuel Nwite
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0
In this photo illustration the Duolingo logo seen displayed on a smartphone. (Photo by Rafael Henrique / SOPA Images/Sipa USA)(Sipa via AP Images)

Duolingo Inc., renowned for its language-learning software, has opted for generative artificial intelligence to streamline content creation, leading to a reduction in its contractor workforce, hinting at a trend where companies leverage AI for tasks traditionally handled by human workers.

This shift to generative AI signals a new wave of automation in language learning amid concerns over the impact of the evolving technology on jobs.

A company spokesperson quoted by Bloomberg confirmed that approximately 10% of contractors have been “offboarded,” citing a shift in the nature of required tasks due to the integration of AI technologies. “We no longer require as many individuals for certain tasks, partly due to the efficiency brought in by AI,” the spokesperson stated.

CEO Luis von Ahn previously outlined in a shareholder letter in November the company’s utilization of generative AI. This technology enables the rapid creation of text, speech, and images, significantly expediting the production of content, including scripts for language-teaching shows. Duolingo has integrated AI-generated voices into its application and introduced Duolingo Max, a premium tier offering AI-generated feedback and multilingual conversations.

Following this revelation, Duolingo’s shares surged by 3.2% to $210.65 in New York, marking continued investor confidence after a remarkable tripling in value throughout 2023.

The spokesperson clarified that the reduction in workforce is not merely a replacement of human workers with AI. Many full-time employees and contractors at Duolingo actively employ AI technologies in their respective roles. At the close of 2022, Duolingo boasted 600 full-time employees, as per company filings, and the spokesperson assured that no full-time employees were impacted by the recent cutbacks.

The growing interest in generative AI has prompted concerns among employee groups and unions regarding potential workforce reductions. A World Economic Forum report forecasted significant labor-market disruptions within the next five years due to AI adoption, albeit with a potentially positive net impact as employers seek individuals equipped with technical skills to navigate AI.

Responding to these concerns, Microsoft Corp. formed an alliance with the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations to address AI’s impact on employment. Microsoft President Brad Smith emphasized the need to enhance workforce capabilities and acknowledged the potential for AI to accelerate certain aspects of job roles.

Other tech firms, including Chegg Inc. and International Business Machines Corp. (IBM), have also made moves in this direction. Chegg Inc. announced a 4% reduction in its workforce, focusing on integrating AI into tutoring services. IBM’s CEO, Arvind Krishna, highlighted the intention to pause hiring for roles potentially replaceable by AI and estimated that 30% of back-office jobs could be automated within five years using AI tools.

Popular language learning app Duolingo has cut about 10% of its contractors as part of its shift towards heavier reliance on artificial intelligence. The Pittsburgh-based company said it will start using AI more often to create content, but that humans will still check AI-produced work. It’s not Duolingo’s first dip into AI waters; back in March, it added an AI-powered subscription tier that allows users to have full conversations with a chatbot. The company said it has more than 24 million daily active users and 5.8 million paid subscribers. More than a third of companies said AI replaced workers last year, and 44% said the technology will cause layoffs in 2024, per a recent survey cited by CNN. (LinkedIn News)

“The Universe of Numbers and The Accelerated Society Era of AI” – Ndubuisi Ekekwe

By
Ndubuisi Ekekwe
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0

I just touched town and tomorrow is the big day. My speech is titled “The Universe of Numbers and The Accelerated Society Era of AI”. Get ready for history, from the time of Pythagoras to the time of Muhammad ibn Musa Al-Khwarizmi to the age of Jack Kilby – and our time, we will understand the universe, and see the emerging era. Then, we will move deep into technology, and how AI is transforming the ordinance of market systems.

“Uwa bu ahia” (the world is a market, the Igbo Nation says) – and artificial intelligence (AI) will make everyone a better market participant. That is the future, and that is the convergence of careers of the future.

“Numbers! Numbers!! Numbers!!!” will replace the famous response of Hamlet when Lord Polonius asked him, “What do you read, my lord?”, and he responded  “Words, words, words”.

The Universe is Numbers and as read numbers, we win on careers and businesses, because the world is numbers. Those numbers open everything and we will examine the world of opportunities in the numbers of nations, communities and people – and how we can prepare.

*Unfortunately, this is invitation-only and I am unable to share the webcast link.

Next Algorand? AI-Powered Option2Trade Raises $300,000 in 24 Hours

By
TI Partners
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0

Option2Trade (O2T) is a Web3 platform that offers advanced tools and services for people to trade crypto and other assets. By combining the power of blockchain smart contracts and artificial intelligence (AI), Option2Trade (O2T) offers features like social trading, trading bots, copy trading, leverage trading, and liquidity provision without requiring KYC.

Algorand is a Decentralized autonomous blockchain that works on the Pure Proof of Stake (PPoS) protocol. ALGO is the native coin of the Algorand blockchain that offers various value-added services. It emerged as a utility token that caught the attention of many investors for its future potential. O2T is offering all those features and use cases, but more. Can O2T become the next Algorand?

Here is a brief overview of how Option2Trade (O2T) works, what the benefits of its native token, O2T, are, and how it raised $300,000 in a single day.

What is Option2Trade (O2T) and how does it work?

To succeed in the crypto space, a project must offer genuine services and incentivize the community in one way or another. Option2Trade (O2T) takes advantage of AI to offer a social trading experience with an intelligent reward mechanism. The platform challenges the monopoly of many crypto projects, like Algorand.

Option2Trade (O2T): AI Social Trading

The social trading feature analyzes market trends, sentiment, and patterns to generate smart suggestions, trading signals, and alerts. Leaderboards, asset rankings, dedicated chat rooms, and shared insights make social trading a central attraction for experienced traders and fresh hands.

Community-Oriented Approach:

A strong community can make a meme coin successful; we know that from the Dogecoin example. Such a community grows around a project if it’s inclusive and benefits everyone. Option2Trade (O2T) offers a one-stop solution to all trading needs, with no KYC required. It adds a sort of anonymity and security to the trustless environment of the blockchain world.

If you are an experienced trader, you can take on the role of leader to copy trades on Option2Trade (O2T) and get rewarded in O2T for every successful trade. Even beginners can follow these experienced traders, copy their trades, and learn from their strategies.

O2T Token: Enjoying Massive Traction

Option2Trade (O2T) is the native utility and governance token of the Option2Trade (O2T) platform. O2T is still at stage 1 of its presale and has raised over $300,000 in funding in just 24 hours. The increased demand for the token, with a max supply of just 624,888,777 O2T tokens, adds to its value. The price of O2T tokens is, therefore, consistently growing.

O2T attracts investors, stands out in the Option2Trade (O2T) ecosystem, and can be used for various purposes, such as:

  • Governance: Each token is your vote to participate in the decision-making process on Option2Trade (O2T).
  • Discounts: Enjoy discounts on the platform’s fees by holding the O2T token.
  • Rewards: All rewards and incentives are given away in O2T tokens.
  • Staking LP: Stake your tokens or provide liquidity to generate passive income.
  • Premium Features: Own O2T tokens to unlock premium tools and services like AI trading bots, credible crypto signals, and more.

Option2Trade (O2T)’s Presale Success and Future

Option2Trade (O2T) token has dedicated 50% of its supply for presale. The presale of the token achieved remarkable success on its first day. The presale raised a total of $300,000, a testament to the high token demand. Option2Trade (O2T) is a licensed global asset platform that targets a broader community that believes in the potential of AI and DeFi.

It is worth noting that the project is still at the beginning of its roadmap. Most of the features are not yet available on Option2Trade (O2T), but it can still gain that much traction from the crypto community. This speaks for Option2Trade (O2T)’s commitment and promising potential. O2T is a multipurpose token, and as more features are added to the platform, the token is going to break out in 2024.

For more information on the Option2Trade (O2T) Presale: 

Visit Option2Trade

Join and become a community member: 

https://t.me/O2TOfficial 

https://twitter.com/Option2Trade_ 

How Should We Hire?

By
Samuel Ajiboyede
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Hiring decisions will always come under fire from all corners, for as long as have recruiters and job-seekers. But that’s not the focus today. The question I want to ask here is, what should we hire for? Should we hire experience or for experience? I will explain shortly.

We are in a time where experience is becoming one of the most critical things company recruiters look for when they are hiring to fill a role. They want to know how many years of experience you have garnered, what kind of skills you have acquired from previous roles, and how many years have been spent in such roles.

Some want to know what top gear achievements you have from your previous employer. Why did you leave your former employer? And so on.

But do the answers tell you how a person will perform on a job? Or are they questions recruiters ask to fill time? That a person has seven years relevant industry experience in that role, is it guarantee that they can deliver on your company’s vision?

To answer that question, I want to reference something I read from the book “Good to Great: why some companies leap, and others don’t.” An interesting point to note here is that the chapter about how a company’s success is highly determined by having the right people on board said little or nothing about years of industry experience.

I’ll take this excerpt from a page in the book.

“One good-to-great executive said that his best hiring decisions often came from people without industry or business experience. In one case, he hired a manager who’d been captured twice during the Second World War and escaped both times. He said, ‘I thought anyone who could do that shouldn’t have trouble with business.”

Did you laugh out? Or did you nod your head vigorously in agreement with him? Well, I did both when I read that excerpt. In this case, the man may not have been hired for job experience but for life experience. And I agree that anyone captured twice during a war and escaped in both instances has what it takes to succeed as a business manager.

There is a reason it is said, “People are not your greatest asset; the right people are,” but the reason is certainly not about the number of years of industry experience a person has. As you probably know, the quality of life experiences a person has gone through says much about the quality of character and personality. But If you are trying to decipher the kind of life experience the person has that may make him thrive on the job, then the emphasis on how many years they have worked in a role may not give you all the answers you seek.

Rebranding Nigeria and the Concept of Economic Distance in Transport Geography

By
John Mc Keown
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0

Every year, I try to be a bit different about my New Years message, but every year, I also try to have a new message for Nigeria.

This year was different, because the message didn’t contain any sentiment that was specific for Nigeria, and some of my ‘people’ may feel left out.

Many people have only one sense of national identity. Some have one for every place they have lived. Some, for strange reasons, develop an alter ego identity around places they have never been, or places that they have been fairly briefly, for example, on a holiday, or on a period of study.

I have lived many places, though my sense of identity is confined to three places – Ireland, Nigeria, and Trinidad.

Nigeria needs recovery, but I am not a politician, nor am I a nation architect.

I would like to discuss here, one or two concepts, though they are not a panacea on their own.

Concept of Economic Distance in Transport Geography

This concept is just simple Econo-maths. It refers to the trade and development multiplier effect that is created by improving transport routes between two urban entities.

It is achieved simply by adding the GDP of each city/town together and dividing it by the distance between them. For example, in Nigeria, it would be measured in  (currency)/km.

It becomes more complicated when considering two cities/towns not of the same nation, because the comparative benefit to each country, and the contribution for route creation or improvement needs to be considered.

A key example of this is the Trans–West African Coastal Highway or TAH 7 intended to link 12 West African coastal nations, from Mauritania in the north-west of the region to Nigeria in the east, with feeder roads already existing to two landlocked countries, Mali and Burkina Faso. This project of the Buhari Regime, was to terminate at Lagos, Nigeria.

This actually wouldn’t serve Nigeria very well, would open Nigeria up to port management inconsistencies on import duties into West Africa, and it also had really poor ‘Economic Distance’ metrics, which didn’t favour Nigeria.

It takes in ports that are better designed, and certainly, operated more efficiently than those in Nigeria.

Instead, Nigeria would be better placed contributing to an international highway going through South Cameroon, and taking in ‘the Congos’, terminating in Kinshasa.

Virtual Capitalist previously predicted that by 2050, Kinshasa is expected to be the second largest population in the world after Lagos.

A visionary highway route from Nigeria, terminating in Kinshasa, would probably provide the best ‘Economic Distance’ link on an international scale (as calculated by GDP Naira/km), with a lot of future proofing.

An easterly route, terminating in Nairobi, would probably be the second most efficient ‘Economic Distance’ link, though bearing in mind, Nairobi efficiency rate is better than Lagos, so that would require further investigation. Kinshasa is less efficient than Lagos.

On a domestic level, the route north, encompassing multiple middle belt and northern towns and cities makes no sense. The  GDP Naira/km collective value isn’t high enough.

Instead, Federal Strategy should be better placed making highly efficient links in the South. A link between Oshodi Lagos and Abeokuta in Ogun State has been completed, but this isn’t enough to allow transport routes to do their part in powering Nigeria’s economy.

Key high GDP Naira/km pairs would also be links to Onitsha, Aba, Warri, and Port Harcourt.

Those who know me well in a Nigerian context, who may criticize me on allegiance to tribal title must know that as a municipal centre, I am not recommending Owerri here, and it has to wait its turn with others.

A key link in Yorubaland should be getting the route from the Oshodi terminal to Ibadan, and an interlink between Ibadan and Abeokuta more intuitively joined up.

From around 2010 forward, both Ogun and Oyo became a focus for industrial development, as ‘brownfield’ sites in Lagos State weren’t large enough, and ‘greenfield’ sites in Ogun and Oyo were more freely available, but within easy reach of a massive Lagos captive market.

I believe concentrating on the links I have proposed, if managed properly, will generate the dynamic for further links with lower GDP per Naira/km urban pairs starting with highest first.

It is important to not grow links based on tribal sentiment.

Aba (Abia State) as the ‘piration’ capital of the world.

Aba for decades has celebrated its ability to pirate things.. in international English, think ‘knock offs’ or counterfeit. You can get really bad copies of designer brands, really cheap, or you can get indistinguishable copies at 20-35% of typical high street prices. There is a spectrum between the worst and the best.

Everything from the latest phones, to handbags, shoes, and perfumes is available.

Many industrial products are also available, though the best sourcing in the region for industrial products is Onitsha.

Many local advocates have made the argument that artisans in Aba have good enough product quality to establish brands to represent their goods directly, and they should wean themselves off copying fashion brands.

Many say, it isn’t that easy, and they don’t have the promotional budgets big companies do. It is easier to trade on the familiarity of the brands they copy. IP enforcement regularly raids them, but goods carted off clandestinely make their way back into the market.

9ja Cosmos is now offering a third way.

What we have done, is claimed ownership globally to the brand ‘pirayted’ by minting it to the Handshake Blockchain. We now have ownership of this identity which cannot be taken away from us by any court, or government directive, domestic or foreign.

What we ‘invite’ businesses involved in counterfeit goods to do, is to adopt the brand ‘pirayted’

In this way, the product, while seeming to resemble a well known brand, is being transparent about its similarities, while at the same time, making it clear, it bears the brand ‘pirayted’.

It would be helpful if businesses adopting the ‘pirayted’ could also incorporate significant departures, (perhaps with comic expression), that create some emphasis on gaps in resemblance to any product with IP protections.

We are making the ‘pirayted’ brand available for anybody to use, as open source, and not levying any charge for doing so.

As the brand scales and develops adoption and acceptance, Nigerian artisans and creators can evolve and migrate from resemblances to aesthetics of other products, and gradually arrive at unique expression, using ‘pirayted’ as both a vehicle and a reference anchor fulcrum.

9ja Cosmos is here…

Get your .9jacom and .9javerse Web 3 domains  for $2 at:

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Visit 9ja Cosmos LinkedIn Page

Visit 9ja Cosmos Website

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