Artificial Intelligence is nothing new.
Back in 1952 computer scientist Arthur Samuel developed a program to play checkers, which was the first to ever learn the game independently. In our world of localization, the first glimpse of the future came in 1954 when researchers from IBM and Georgetown University demonstrated an AI tool that could translate 250 words from Russian into English almost instantly. But AI development through the decades was an esoteric pursuit – privy to only an exclusive few. That all changed with the launch of ChatGPT.
AI is here to stay
In the (almost) two years since its launch, ChatGPT, and AI in general, has shaken up industries and forced the hand of change. Business leaders are rethinking their strategies, finding themselves in an implementation race to ensure their business is making the most of AI. Our own research found that as many as nine-tenths (87%) of C-Suite executives feel under pressure to rapidly implement generative AI (Gen AI) solutions at speed and scale.
While 76% of executives are excited about Gen AI’s potential benefits, more than a third (36%) express concerns about misallocating enterprise resources that could be better used elsewhere.
Purposeful innovation is key
In the rush to get new products or services to market it’s easy to get lost. As Vasagi Kothandapani, President of Enterprise Service, explains, “By taking a purposeful and responsible approach to innovation, we can all play our part in making sure the current wave of excitement around Gen AI’s potential doesn’t lead to disillusionment, pushback, or even a new AI winter, but instead leads to positive progress for business and society.”
There’s also too much noise around AI. The majority (68%) C-Suite execs agree, acknowledging that they find it difficult to identify genuine innovators in today’s noisy AI market.
But the positive news for us, as an industry, is that businesses are looking for trusted partners – in particular innovators that combine technology, AI and human expertise. This combination is the essence of our industry.
Throughout the decades we’ve embraced technology. Translation management, CAT tools, terminology management and more recently machine translation, a form of AI itself. We’ve been at the forefront of change, and advances in large language models (LLMs) have given us an opportunity to – yet again – demonstrate our value, and ability help clients navigate uncertainty. However, that means expanding beyond traditional translation services to offer comprehensive, purposeful AI solutions, ensuring customers have a trusted partner to solve rapidly changing business challenges.
The golden opportunity for LSPs
As a recent Forbes contributor explained, “Language is at the heart of human intelligence. It therefore is and must be at the heart of our efforts to build artificial intelligence. No sophisticated AI can exist without mastery of language.”
Think about that for a moment. The future of AI success relies on language. No other industry is better positioned to support the future of AI quite like the localization industry. It’s a golden opportunity to elevate our industry, demonstrating our knowledge, expertise and pioneering advances. But that is only achievable if we fuse human intelligence and artificial intelligence – what we call Genuine Intelligence, which combines human intelligence and artificial intelligence to transform data and content.
It’s based on the idea that the two are more powerful when working together than they are separately. “With the rising volume, variety and velocity of global content, most recognize that automation must play an essential role. But this human layer of assurance is vital to their confidence in machine-generated outputs – forging reliable, understandable and accurate data that’s free of hallucinations and errors,” commented Mark Lawyer, General Manager of Linguistic AI.
An opportunity, not a threat
The path forward is clear: embrace AI, but do so with purpose, rigor, and a deep respect for the irreplaceable value of human intelligence. Businesses are looking for guidance and expertise, and the LSPs that thrive will be those that cut through the hype and deliver real value.
Join us at SlatorCon Silicon Valley on 5th September, where RWS’s Vasagi Kothandapani, President of Enterprise Services and Mark Lawyer, General Manager of Linguistic AI, will host a session Beyond the Ηype: Trust and Ιnnovation in AI Αdoption.