💡 We’re Premiering Glasp Talk #50!
Join us live for the premiere of our fiftieth session:
“How Duolingo Builds Its Learning Engine with Science and AI,” featuring Bozena Pajak, Duolingo’s VP of Learning.
▶️ When: May 16 at 10:00 am PDT (6:00 pm BST, 10:30 pm IST)
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Don’t miss this deep dive into the science and AI behind one of the world’s most popular language-learning platforms!
This is the fiftieth session of Glasp Talk!
Glasp Talk delves deep into intimate interviews with luminaries from various fields, unraveling their genuine emotions, experiences, and the stories behind them.
Today’s guest is Bozena Pajak, a leading voice in cognitive science and language education, currently serving as the VP of Learning at Duolingo. With a Ph.D. in linguistics and a background in academia, she also mentors startups through Techstars and serves on the Cognitive Sciences Advisory Board at UC San Diego. Bozena shares her journey from growing up in Poland to shaping one of the world’s most beloved educational platforms.
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Transcripts
Hi, everyone. Welcome back to another episode of Glasp Talk. Today, we are excited to have Bozena Pajak with us. Bozena is a seasoned expert in language learning and cognitive science, currently serving as the VP of learning at Duolingo. With nearly a decade at Duolingo, she has held many roles, including director and staff learning scientist, shaping the learning experiences for millions worldwide… Read More
Highlights
From Lab to App: Bozena leveraged her PhD research on how people learn languages to shape Duolingo’s core methodology—running A/B experiments on lesson content, measuring retention and real-world proficiency, and building a team of learning scientists to continually refine course design.
Research Meets Pragmatism: She balances scientific rigor with user behavior by translating general learning principles (e.g., retrieval practice) into intuitive, bite-sized exercises, then iterating based on engagement and retention metrics—always adapting lab findings to the realities of a consumer app.
AI-Powered Growth: Since 2022, Duolingo has used generative AI to accelerate content creation (rolling out hundreds of new courses in months) and to enable AI-driven conversation partners—pioneering personalized, real-time speaking practice that would’ve been impossible at scale before.
Key Questions & Insights
Q: What initially sparked her interest in linguistics and language learning?
Growing up in Poland, Bozena Pajak was encouraged to learn multiple languages for better career prospects, inspiring her passion for linguistics and later leading her to explore how language learning takes place in the mind. She started trying to learn a new language each year, which eventually shaped her academic journey and research focus.
Q: How did her role at Duolingo evolve when you first joined?
When Bozena joined Duolingo, she was the only learning scientist in a team mostly composed of engineers. She initially focused on improving course content and running experiments to understand how users learn better, gradually helping to shape the learning strategies employed by the platform.
Q: How does Duolingo balance scientific rigor with user preferences?
Duolingo leverages both research findings on effective teaching methodologies and feedback from user engagement metrics. Bozena explained that implementing methods solely based on scientific principles doesn't always align with user experience, leading the team to innovate and adapt general learning principles creatively within the app.
Q: How has user engagement with the mascot Duo influenced retention?
Bozena noted that Duo, the mascot, has become a beloved aspect of the app that contributes positively to user engagement. The humorous and relatable notifications sent by Duo have been shown to encourage users to return, demonstrating the mascot's impactful role in fostering community and motivation.
Q: How does Bozena utilize her background in research within her current role?
Bozena applies her research expertise to inform product development at Duolingo, ensuring that language learning methods are evidence-based. Her role involves analyzing user data and integrating scientific principles of language acquisition into the app's design, enhancing the learning experience.
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