THE language learning app Duolingo has apologised after a German lesson described the Harry Potter author JK Rowling as gemein, meaning "cruel" or “mean”.
A German lesson on the app included the question: “Magst du die Bücher mit Harry Potter als Figur?” (“Do you like books with Harry Potter as a character?”)
The app then said the correct response was: “Ja, aber meiner Meinung nach ist die Autorin gemein.” (“Yes, but in my opinion the author is cruel/mean.”)
A spokesperson for the app confirmed they would remove the reference to Rowling.
They said: “We apologise for any offence caused and will remove this content.”
Duolingo has more than 500 million registered accounts with more than 130m active daily users and produces courses in 40 different languages. It said artificial intelligence is generating some narratives and translations.
Last year the US-based firm laid off 10% of its contractor workforce in favour of replacing translators with artificial intelligence (AI).
However, the app faced fierce backlash from its users over the decision, with the app's CEO, Luis von Ahn, seemingly backtracking on his comments about AI gradually replacing contract workers.
“To be clear: I do not see AI as replacing what our employees do (we are in fact continuing to hire at the same speed as before),” Von Ahn wrote in a LinkedIn post.
“I see it as a tool to accelerate what we do, at the same or better level of quality. And the sooner we learn how to use it, and use it responsibly, the better off we will be in the long run.”
Rowling recently reignited her long-standing row over transgender rights with the former Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon.
On Wednesday, the former first minister said that the author is “entitled to speak her view” on trans issues but suggested the writer should also be subjected to “more scrutiny”.
Rowling was a vocal critic of the gender recognition reforms championed by Sturgeon, and famously donned a T-shirt which branded the-then first minister a “destroyer of women’s rights”.
Rowling’s views on trans rights have been condemned by Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson, who were both stars of the original Harry Potter franchise. The pair have since distanced themselves from the author.
