Are Duolingo’s AI video calls just a gimmick or a valid way to study?

Turning the traditionally boring world of language learning upside down.

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Watching my nephew effortlessly figure out a new video game without any tutorials got me thinking about how we naturally learn. That’s what led me to explore Duolingo’s latest updates — Adventures (2024) and AI Video Calls (2025) — and how they’re changing the way we learn languages.

Let’s break down how they’re turning the traditionally boring world of language learning upside down.

Duolingo Adventures

Duolingo just dropped a new feature called Adventures, where users explore virtual worlds alongside characters like Lily and Oscar, following storylines and completing tasks.

Remember those language classes where grammar felt like advanced calculus?

Duolingo said, no thanks.

Instead, they built something around a simple idea: we learn best when it’s fun and when we actually need to use what we’re learning. Psychologists call this the exposure-need dynamic, but really, it’s just how humans naturally pick up languages.

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Adventures focuses on immersion and practice. Learning happens through play, similar to how toddlers pick up language — by exploring and imitating rather than memorizing rules.

There’s no pressure to get pronunciation or grammar perfect, and everything feels like a game rather than homework.

It’s basically language learning the way kids do it — by observing, imitating, and not being afraid to mess up.

Let’s take a closer look at how they’ve gamified the process.

The storytelling neurochemistry

Ever notice how you remember a good story way better than a list of facts? That’s because storytelling creates a low-stress, engaging environment where learning happens naturally. Research even shows that digital storytelling helps reduce anxiety, making it easier to experiment with…