What Does Duolingo’s Recent AI Scandal Mean for the Future of Brand Social?

I have so many thoughts on this and am going to show my age. 😂 Grab a hot beverage and settle in.

I often think about the book Brand Like a Rock Star and how it draws direct parallels between bands and brands—especially how changes in a band's sound or lineup can spark intense backlash, impacting everything from album sales to concert attendance. The book highlights that while reinvention is necessary, it comes with real risks: fans build strong emotional connections to what they perceive as the "authentic" version of a band, and any shift—no matter how strategic—can feel like a betrayal.

This dynamic is playing out clearly with Duolingo. Just as bands face criticism for evolving or "selling out," brands like Duolingo that built their reputation on a distinct voice are now being scrutinized for shifting tone or strategy, especially when those changes seem to contradict the values that drew fans in the first place. The backlash isn't just about a single misstep; it's about the perceived loss of authenticity and the emotional contract with the audience.

In both music and branding, staying relevant means walking a tightrope between consistency and evolution. When the balance tips—whether it's a band experimenting with a new sound or a brand pivoting its voice—the reaction can be swift and severe. The Duolingo situation feels like a textbook example: the era of chaotic, self-aware brand voices may not be over, but audiences are demanding deeper, more authentic connections, and they're quick to notice when something feels off.

The contrast with Apple's evolution is instructive. Their iconic "Are you a Mac or a PC?" campaign didn't just feature clever ads casting the PC as a middle-aged office guy and the Mac as a younger, cooler character (played by Justin Long). Apple backed up that youthful, creative identity with real product changes—designing colorful, playful machines that matched their new personality. Those colorful Macs and MacBooks, Elle Woods' and Rory Gilmore's pink and white machines — they became cultural symbols because the brand evolution felt authentic and was supported by genuine product innovation.

That's the challenge for brands today, especially in the social media era: change is necessary, but it has to be rooted in authenticity and a genuine understanding of what your audience values most. Whether you're a band or a brand, evolution is inevitable—but so is the risk of backlash if that evolution isn't grounded in truth. As we're seeing now, when audiences sense inauthenticity, the backlash can be swift and the goodwill hard to rebuild.

Have you checked out Duo’s LinkedIn page? It’s largely focused on talent acquisition and I think they’re doing a stellar job at showing company culture, with concrete examples. 

I agree with a lot of your sentiment here. To your point, people become very attached to their perceived ideas of what’s authentic — almost in a parasocial way. And while I don’t think that’s the worst thing for engagement, it can get pretty gnarly when a scandal like this happens. Honestly, to seem truly authentic and address the AI backlash, they’d have to break the fourth wall in a way that’s pretty off-brand for them.

Plus, I imagine a lot of this is out of the social team’s hands — they aren’t the ones making the business calls — so it feels like a lose/lose situation for them.

Thanks again for your thoughtful reply. I’m definitely going to check out that book!

There was a really interesting conversation on LinkedIn a while back where someone asked whether anyone had actually learned a language from Duolingo. Not a single person of the over 1K responses said yes. Most shared that’s is a fun game and that they like the brand, but they it doesn’t actually do what they promise. 

Ever since I read that, I’ve really started noticing how the bulk of their organic social media that people love is really just entertainment. It is not about promoting the product, it is not even about furthering language skills, it’s just about getting people engaged, increasing brand awareness, and being relevant.

And I’ll admit, I love what they are doing, how they approach social, and how its working for them. It’s kind of the dream life for social media folks, getting to be ultra creative and really experiment. 

The AI ‘scandal’ just felt like they went a little too far with this and maybe experimented a little too hard. I’m also going to guess that much of their actual fanbase doesn’t care. In these types of moments, I think social media managers tend to pick each other’s campaigns apart in a way that the average person doesn’t. For other brands, I do think it’s just a bump in the road, a cautionary tale about what not to do. But they’ll find something else equally weird and unhinged to do instead; it just may resonate with their audience more.