Public Service Announcement by Luis von Ahn

Introduction

• Speaker: Luis von Ahn
• Nationality: Guatemalan
• Distinction between Guatemala and Guantanamo (laughter).
• Location of Guatemala: below Mexico.
• Guatemala compared to Mexico: "Mexico's Mexico" (laughter).

Guatemala's Situation

• Guatemala: small, poor country with excellent food.
• Education seen as a source of inequality:
  • Rich have access to good education, continue wealth.
  • Poor lack good education, remain poor.
• Speaker received quality education due to mother's efforts.

Motivation for Equal Education

• Goal: Provide equal access to education for all.
• Background: Professor of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University.
• Project partner: PhD student, Severin.
• Focus area: Language education (start with one subject).
• Decision influenced by large demand for language learning:
  • ~2 billion people learning a foreign language.
  • 80% learning English.
  • Learning English can significantly increase income potential.

Duolingo: Language Learning App

• Importance of accessibility via smartphones.
• Freemium model:
  • Free access with ads.
  • Subscription option to remove ads.
  • Wealth redistribution: Rich countries’ users fund the education for poorer countries.

Tackling Engagement Challenges

• Smartphones: Come with addictive apps (e.g., TikTok, Instagram).
• Duolingo aims to make learning engaging like these apps:
  • Strategies to keep users engaged:
    • Streaks: Daily usage counter.
    • Notifications: Reminders optimized by AI.
    • Passive aggressive notifications.

Impact and Reach

• Engagement statistics:
  • 3 million users with streaks over 365 days.
  • Japan has longest average streaks, Latin America shortest.
• Memes and cultural impact:
  • Green owl mascot in numerous internet memes.

Future Vision

• Applying techniques to other subjects (math, physics, etc.).
• Educational apps do not need to be as engaging as social media.
• Key point: Education provides meaning and internal satisfaction.
• Goal: Deliver high-quality education to everyone via mobile phones.

Call to Action

• Reminder to complete language lessons.