How Duolingo Leverages Generative AI to Unlock 148 New Language Learning Pathways in Just One Year

The language learning platform Duolingo has achieved a remarkable milestone by releasing 148 new language courses—more than doubling its existing catalog in a single year. This unprecedented growth represents a fundamental shift in how educational content can be developed at scale, made possible through advancements in generative AI and streamlined production workflows.

From Decade-Long Development to Rapid Deployment

What once required years of specialized teams to accomplish has been radically accelerated. Building individual courses on Duolingo traditionally demanded extensive time and resources, but the company’s new “shared content” methodology has transformed this process. By creating a high-quality foundational course and then leveraging AI tools to customize it across multiple languages, Duolingo has compressed development cycles dramatically.

“We used to need small teams working for years to build even a single course from scratch,” explained Jessie Becker, Senior Director of Learning Design at Duolingo. “Now, with generative AI handling content creation and validation, our teams concentrate on quality assurance and pedagogical rigor.” This approach enabled the company to maintain its educational standards while dramatically accelerating production.

Seven Major Languages Now Accessible Across 28 User Interfaces

The expansion makes Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Mandarin available across all 28 supported interface languages that Duolingo supports. This represents a historic moment for global learning access—over a billion potential learners now have pathways to study these in-demand languages.

Regional Impact:

• Latin American learners can now access Japanese, Korean, and Mandarin through Spanish and Portuguese interfaces
• European users gain access to these Asian languages through fifteen different European language interfaces
• Asian markets see the most dramatic shift, with speakers of Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Thai, Tagalog, Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, and Tamil now able to learn all seven major languages rather than being limited primarily to English

What These New Courses Offer

The initial rollout focuses on beginner proficiency levels (CEFR A1–A2), featuring interactive components like Stories for reading comprehension development and DuoRadio for listening skill building. Advanced-level content will become available in subsequent months, creating a comprehensive learning progression.

The Generative AI Factor

CEO and co-founder Luis von Ahn emphasized the transformative role of technology: “Developing our first 100 courses took approximately 12 years. In contrast, we’ve created and deployed nearly 150 courses in roughly one year. This directly demonstrates how generative AI can scale educational benefits.”

This capability didn’t emerge by accident—Duolingo has strategically invested in AI infrastructure, automation systems, and content optimization tools. The result is a proof-of-concept for how technology can democratize educational access without compromising quality.

Meeting Global Demand for Asian Language Learning

The surge in demand for Japanese, Korean, and Mandarin reflects broader global trends. By dramatically expanding access, Duolingo positions itself to capture growing markets in Asia-Pacific and diaspora communities worldwide seeking language proficiency in these increasingly important global languages.

This expansion underscores how technology companies, when properly leveraging AI and automation, can solve long-standing scaling challenges in education—turning multi-year development cycles into months, and making once-limited resources available to billions.