How Duolingo Built a Chess Learning App with AI
Welcome to session two of our exclusive multi-part product series with Duolingo!
In this exciting collaboration, product managers from Duolingo are pulling back the curtain to share their "behind the product" stories—offering a rare look into how they build groundbreaking features using AI, fast experimentation, and delightful design. In this session, we dive deep into Duolingo’s newest and most unexpected course yet: Chess.
Three Learning Outcomes
[1] Why Chess, Why Now?
Learn why Duolingo made the bold move into chess education and how it aligns with their broader mission of teaching through delight and habit.
[2] AI-Powered Product Development
Discover the key AI tools and techniques that enabled the team to build an entire new course—without writing code or hiring engineers early on.
[3] Designing Fast, Launching Big
Hear how Edwin Bodge and his team co-created with Design, prototyped intuitively, and launched a full course with over 55 hours of learning content—at startup speed.
Why This Topic Matters
Duolingo has redefined how people learn—from languages to music to math. Now they’re making their next move: Chess. This event peels back the curtain on how one of the world’s most innovative product teams shipped an entirely new domain using AI, scrappy prototyping, and close cross-functional collaboration. Whether you build consumer apps or experiment with AI in your workflow, these lessons will inspire you to move faster, smarter, and more creatively.
Speaker Bio
Edwin Bodge is a Group Product Manager at Duolingo, where he has launched AI-powered initiatives including Duolingo Max and the newly launched Chess course. Since joining the company in 2018, he’s been instrumental in scaling subscriptions, launching new revenue streams, and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with AI in education.