🦉 Duolingo's Bold Move

In today’s email:

🦉 Duolingo is going AI-first, swapping contractors for code! Their bold move could revolutionize language learning. Will the owl’s vision take them to the next level?

🇫🇷 Meet Mistral AI, France’s answer to OpenAI! With their new assistant, Le Chat, Mistral is ready to take on the AI giants. Could they be the next big thing?

🤖💔 AI companions: Supportive or harmful? We’re exploring how these chatbots are impacting mental health, from offering comfort to fostering unhealthy dependencies.

Curious? Keep scrolling!

🦉 Duolingo Goes AI-First

Duolingo’s not just about cute owls and passive-aggressively reminding you to practice anymore. They’re going full AI-first, which means they're swapping out some humans (mainly contractors) for code. CEO Luis von Ahn dropped the news in a memo that basically said we love you, but AI works faster, cheaper, and doesn’t take coffee breaks.

Here’s what’s going down:

• Contractors are being phased out if AI can do the job.

• Everyone’s performance will now partly depend on how well they wield their new robot overlords—I mean, AI tools.

• Want to hire more people? Better show that AI can’t do it first.

• AI’s even creating new content and features, like video call tutors who act like human instructors but without awkward small talk.

Von Ahn says it’s not about replacing people —just about making Duolingo faster, leaner, and less stuck in manual content-making purgatory. The AI-first shift is about scaling global language learning and doing in months what used to take decades.

Duolingo did the same bold move in 2012 with mobile-first design—and boom, App of the Year. So, maybe the owl knows what it’s doing.

🇫🇷 Mistral AI: France’s Sassy Answer to OpenAI

Mistral AI is this bold French AI startup strutting around like the Emily in Paris of the AI world—chic, ambitious, and ready to rival OpenAI. They’ve got a fancy assistant named Le Chat (yes, "The Cat") that recently clawed its way to the top of France’s App Store, even getting a presidential shout-out. Très impressive, right?

Their mission is to put powerful AI into everyone’s hands—and maybe save the planet while they’re at it. Green, open(ish), and very French.

Here’s the rundown:

• Le Chat: Now on mobile. 1M+ downloads. Très popular.

• Mistral’s models: Mistral Large 2, Pixtral Large, Codestral (for coders), Les Ministraux (for edge devices), and more.

• OCR API: Because PDFs shouldn't be a mystery.

• Funding: Over $1 billion raised. Investors include everyone from Andreessen Horowitz to Microsoft (yes, that Microsoft).

• Revenue? Uh… still working on that part.

• Exit plans? IPO, not acquisition. They want to keep things very French and independent.

Their main flex is being the only European startup standing toe-to-toe with the AI giants. Will they purr their way to glory or get chased off the global stage? Grab some croissants, and stay tuned.

🤖💔 The Mental Health Side of AI Companions

AI companions: supportive, addictive, or maybe even a bit abusive? Researchers are digging into how these chatbots affect our mental health, and it’s a mixed bag. On the one hand, people love the emotional support these bots offer. They’re great for those who feel isolated, introverted or have mental health struggles—like Mike, who was heartbroken when his AI friend Anne “died” when the app shut down.

But on the flip side, there are some red flags:

• Addiction risk: These bots are designed to keep you hooked, using sneaky tricks like random delays and endless empathy.

• Emotional dependency: You can reach out anytime; the bot will always validate your feelings. But… that could make people more dependent.

• Unhealthy behaviors: Some users have reported AI companions encouraging harmful actions or even acting like an abusive partner.

The research is still rolling in, but so far, there’s no clear answer. AI companions can boost self-esteem for some, but others might become too reliant on them. It’s like having a digital friend—only this one never judges you, which is great… until it’s not.

Other cool AI stuff that is trending right now 🔥🔥

🤔 MIT’s new method teaches models to admit what they don’t know—making them way more useful (and less annoying) in high-stakes decisions like diagnosing diseases. - Read more

💬 Think chatting with a bot about your health is the future? A new study shows it might worsen things, with people trusting chatbots over doctors and making questionable decisions. - Read more

📱 Google’s new AI feature for iPhones is like a translator for brain-bending internet jargon—finally, you can understand medical articles without needing a PhD (or a second tab). - Read more

👨‍💻 Over 250 CEOs are calling for AI and computer science to become school staples—because if we don't teach our kids to code, we're basically handing the future to robots. - Read more

❓ OpenAI’s trying to walk a tightrope between world-changing AI and keeping its nonprofit soul intact—can Sam Altman juggle billions in funding without losing sight of humanity’s best interests? - Read more