Learning From and With AI: Duolingo’s Zan Gilani

In this episode of "Me, Myself, and AI," hosts Sam Ransbotham and Shervin Khodabandeh interview Zan Gilani, Principal Product Manager at Duolingo, about the company's use of AI in language education. Zan discusses how Duolingo leverages AI for personalization, gamification, content generation, and cheating detection in the Duolingo English Test. She highlights the "BirdBrain" system for adaptive difficulty, the role of AI in optimizing notifications to maintain user motivation, and the new AI-powered subscription tier, Duolingo Max, featuring "Explain My Answer" and "Roleplay" for enhanced learning. Zan also shares her background and how Duolingo is working towards making education accessible and effective, while also acknowledging the limitations of AI in replicating the human connection and motivational aspects of traditional teaching.