AI Translation Breakthrough: Unbabel CEO Predicts End of Human Translators Within 3 Years

AI Coming For Translator Jobs? This CEO Says Humans Won't Be Needed For Translation 'Except...Most Difficult Use Cases' In 3 Years

Unbabel, a startup based in Lisbon, has introduced a new AI-powered translation service called Widn.AI. The company's CEO, Vasco Pedro, predicts that human translators might become obsolete within the next three years. What Happened: The Widn.AI service utilizes Unbabel's proprietary large language model, Tower, which can handle translations in 32 different languages. Pedro shared these insights during an interview at the Web Summit in Lisbon, highlighting the advancements in AI since Unbabel was founded a decade ago, CNBC reported on Wednesday. Initially, Unbabel's approach combined AI with human editors for translations. However, Pedro now believes AI can manage most translation tasks independently, "except for really the ... most difficult use cases," and is nearing full capability. See Also: New Head Strap For Apple Vision Pro, Election Tracking, AI Magic, And More: This Week In Appleverse Despite a potential decline in revenue per translated word, Pedro anticipates that an increase in the volume of translated content will drive growth. Unbabel is currently seeking $20 million to $50 million in funding to further develop and expand Widn.AI. Why It Matters: The launch of Widn.AI and Pedro's bold prediction comes amid ongoing debates about the impact of AI on employment. Vinod Khosla, a Silicon Valley billionaire, recently forecasted that AI could replace a significant portion of human jobs over the next 25 years. He suggested that AI might perform 80% of tasks in 80% of jobs, including roles like primary care doctors and assembly line workers. However, Sam Altman, CEO of ChatGPT-maker OpenAI, has downplayed the threat of AI-induced unemployment. Altman encourages the next generation to embrace AI technology, believing that while some jobs may change, new opportunities will arise. This optimistic view contrasts with Khosla's warning that workers might not be able to upgrade their skills to avoid job losses. Read Next: Apple's iOS 18.1 Update Adds 'Inactivity Reboot' To Lock Down Unused iPhones -- Here's How It Protects You Image via GoodFon/ Gottlib This story was generated using Benzinga Neuro and edited by Pooja Rajkumari Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

Startup CEO says humans won't be needed for translation in 3 years as it launches AI app

Unbabel's LLM allows AI translation in 32 languages, Vasco Pedro, the company's CEO, told CNBC in an interview at the Web Summit in Lisbon. "When we started in Unbabel 10 years ago, AI was not at the stage that it is now, and so we were very much focused on creating hybrid solutions that would combine AI and human," Pedro said. "But I think for the first time, we believe that translation is now fully in the realm of AI capabilities, and that you can do a lot of things without needing humans at all in the case of translation." Unbabel's traditional product was one that combined so-called machine learning, a type of AI, to translate words, but with human editors to check the final product. Pedro said Widn.AI will not require humans. "I think humans still have a slight advantage in very hard use cases. But that advantage right now is so razor thin that except for really the ... most difficult use cases, we believe AI is getting really there, and it's hard for me to see right now how three years from now, you will need humans to be translating anything," Pedro said. Widn.AI is the latest product in an increasingly competitive market which includes Google Translate and products from German startup DeepL. Those companies see translation as a key area in which LLMs can be used effectively and have trained models specifically to tackle various languages. Pedro acknowledges that the revenue per translated word is going to "drastically reduce." But he said there will be an increase in the amount of content translated which will sustain the company's growth. Unbabel is speaking to investors and is looking to raise between $20 million and $50 million in funding to fuel the growth and development of Widn.AI, according to Pedro.