Language Learning App Preply Centres Humans After Duolingo’s Move Towards AI

As AI-driven language apps become the norm, language learning platform Preply has taken a different path: putting real human connection at the core of learning.

Preply drove this home with their newest campaign, ‘The Better Duo’, simultaneously playing on the name of their competition, and highlighting real tutor-student pairs whose relationships are built on empathy, humour, and cultural exchange.

The platform’s stance is unequivocal: meaningful language learning can’t be automated. And while learners across the globe get sucked into keeping streaks with imaginary friends, Preply has been working on a sustainable learning pattern which goes beyond useful phrases and into understanding the cultural nuances of linguistics.
Sofia Tavares, chief brand officer at Preply wants to make it clear that the brand is not ‘anti-AI’. “We’re pro-human,” she says. “Our data shows that learners who keep a long-term relationship with a tutor complete more lessons and reach conversational fluency faster than self-study users.”

Those outcomes are the result of human connection with all of its shabby edges, none of which live in an algorithm. “AI is fantastic for drills and instant feedback; it’s terrible at eye contact and encouragement, though. So we invest in both, with people at the centre.”

For years, the brand has observed the benefits of a good connection between a tutor and a learner: “confidence skyrockets, jokes cross cultures, and career opportunities open up,” says Sofia. “That’s the ‘better duo’.

The campaign was launched at a crucial moment, as the market’s conversation has somewhat suddenly and rapidly fixated on full AI learning. Amid the noise, Preply’s message is that “language is a social sport,” and as many have observed, tech should enhance human exchange, not replicate it.
Showcasing authentic relationships between tutors and students rather than actors was crucial when making ‘The Better Duo’. “You can’t fake eight years of inside jokes,” says Sofia. “When Gustavo talks about earning a promotion thanks to Mónica, or when Daniel describes counselling patients in Spanish after 1,400 sessions with Jose Luis, you feel the stakes.

“Real stories carry proof that can’t be scripted, and they honour the tutors who power our marketplace.”

This comes as both a direct response to competitor Duoligo’s pivot to AI-led learning, and a broader brand evolution which was already in motion. “We’d been planning an evergreen platform around human-led progress for months,” reveals Sofia. “Duolingo’s AI news simply gave us the perfect cultural moment to release it. Think of it as a friendly reality check, not a clap-back.”

But, however you think of it as, it’s simple: assigning each side a clear job description removes ambiguity. “Humans deliver empathy, nuance, and cultural context. AI handles repetitive tasks, instant grammar suggestions, smart lesson recap, scheduling.” No replacing tutors here!

This commitment to the craft of teaching has seen the brand grow tremendously. In 2016 Preply had 3,000 tutors, where today it hosts over 100,000 across more than 50 languages. Sofia explains that scaling people in this kind of environment means building the necessary tools – payments, curriculum aids, AI lesson planners – that allow a single tutor to serve students in 180 countries without friction.

“We’re essentially giving freelancers a global classroom!”

One of these freelancers is Jose Luis, who we see in the campaign tutoring Daniel, who works in mental health. Their story is one of resilience and unwavering commitment, with Daniel now being able to counsel Spanish-speaking patients, “literally saving lives.” “That,” says Sofia, “is bigger than vocabulary. It’s impact at a human level.”

She continues: “While AI is often positioned as a shortcut to fluency, we believe progress isn’t a streak. It’s ordering coffee without panic, acing a job interview, or chatting with your grandmother. We track milestones like CEFR jumps, but we celebrate the first joke understood in a new language. That’s the moment fluency starts to feel real.”

But there are the traditional, tangible ways to quantify intangible values like cultural exchange and humour: retention, lesson completion, are both things the platform looks at to prove progress. “Stories love purpose,” Sofia explains.

And, the brand is committed to sharing these stories across nations through their campaigns too. “We write the narrative in English, then we transcreate, not translate. Local teams adapt idioms, examples, even humour, so the core promise ‘real people, real progress’ sounds authentic in Bogotá and in Berlin.”

After launching ‘The Better Duo’, Preply has received numerous testimonials from both tutors and students, who expressed feeling ‘seen’ by the brand. “That immediate pride and word-of-mouth energy is the best signal that the campaign is resonating, and we’ll keep building on it.”

What’s next? ‘The Better Duo’ is a platform that Sofia says will shape everything Preply does in the future. “On the product, you can expect more AI features that free tutors to do what humans do best – conversation and coaching. In the brand, you’ll see ongoing spotlights of inspiring duos, localisation in more markets, and partnerships that celebrate cultural exchange.

“The future of edtech isn’t AI or people; it’s AI-augmented humans. We plan to lead that future, one duo at a time.”