Karandeep Singh Kapany reflects on Cannes 2024

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has been a beacon of creative excellence for over 70 years, with a legacy of celebrating game-changing, progress-driving, and culture-shifting creativity. So, this year, when I got the opportunity to speak at the festival, it was a feeling of immense honour; honour to be amongst the only five Indians selected to speak at this prestigious event, honour to be sharing the stage with some of the most forward-thinking visionaries of the 21st century, and most of all, honour for getting this opportunity to showcase Duolingo’s India story, the cause behind and the impact delivered with it all. 

A global forum for our India story 

India shares a unique relationship with learning. In India, formal education often comes with undue pressure to score exceptionally well for college admissions or to pursue certain career paths due to societal expectations. This approach can make the learning process unenjoyable and disengaging for young Indians. Given that India has the highest population of youngsters globally, transforming their relationship with learning is crucial.

Education is a "serious" topic in India, but true learning is a result of building excitement. It was imperative to speak to an international audience about this unique situation while showcasing what we, at Duolingo, have achieved. From our meme-worthy moments to fandom engagement, I was delighted to share the creative ways we have been positioning learning as fun to revolutionise education. The India story making it to Cannes represented a breakthrough moment in our journey, giving a global voice to this contemporary concern.

Learning made easy, learning made fun 

The experience at Cannes was not just about sharing our story; it was also about getting to learn from the most iconic thinkers of our times. Attending talks by luminaries like Elon Musk, Mira Murati (CTO, OpenAI), Vidhya Srinivasan (VP/GM, Advertising at Google) and Alexander Chen (Creative Director at Google Creative Lab) was both a privilege and profoundly educational. These sessions brought critical discussions about the role of AI in creativity to the forefront. 

I have always believed that AI cannot replace human creativity and intuition, but it can significantly enhance them. Listening to global thought leaders at Cannes reiterated perspectives on AI as not just a tool for productivity and efficiency but as an enabler of creativity and curiosity. Their insights were truly inspiring, reaffirming my belief in the powerful synergy between AI and human ingenuity and the immense potential we have to innovate and inspire, together.

A heartfelt connection 

Walking on stage, I was brimming with pride to be amplifying our story on such a grand platform – and not only did I walk out with that but so much more. The love and support shown for Duolingo at the festival was overwhelming. A window into the little victories that make up the big impact, hearing about people's heartfelt experiences with the platform was a mirror to the real lives we have touched. 

I am incredibly grateful for this once-in-a-lifetime experience, which has not only felt like a celebration of the inroads we have made so far but also a powerful reminder of our responsibility to keep pushing the boundaries of creativity in making learning fun.