Have An AI Assistant Yet?

Will all in localization soon have an AI Cobot?

According to Accenture's Technology Vision 2023 Report, 96% of executives agree that the convergence of the digital and physical worlds will have a transformative impact on their industries in the next decade. I would be surprised if it took that long. However, despite the recognition that every business is essentially a digital business now, only 8% of companies are currently adopting a strategy of total enterprise reinvention.

The report further highlights the growing trend of fusing the digital and physical realms, which is driven by the feeling of disconnection and disjointedness between these two worlds. One example of this fusion is the increasing popularity of cobots, or collaborative robots, which is projected to become a $16.3 billion market by 2028.

Cobots, short for collaborative robots, are robots designed to work alongside humans in a safe and intelligent manner. They are specifically developed to collaborate with humans, taking on menial and repetitive tasks, and freeing up human workers to focus on more important and enjoyable aspects of their jobs. They can help with physical tasks as well as digital ones. Unlike traditional industrial robots, cobots are designed to work closely with humans, assisting with complex tasks that cannot be fully automated. They are programmed to cooperate and collaborate with humans, creating a shared workspace where sequential collaboration and simultaneous work can take place. The principle applies in both the physical and digital workspace. Does the most obvious AI opportunity to transform localization lie in the adoption of this kind of digital cobots?

A great example of such an emerging digital application is Microsoft’s Copilot which was just released in the past couple of weeks. It was designed to assist users in various tasks by leveraging artificial intelligence capabilities. It acts as a digital AI assistant by collaborating with users in the context of their workflow, offering suggestions, and providing intelligent assistance.

As an integrated virtual assistant within Windows 11, Copilot offers a wide range of functionalities. When users have questions or need information, they can rely on Copilot to provide accurate and relevant answers. This aspect of Copilot showcases its ability to mimic human intelligence by processing user queries and delivering appropriate responses, similar to how a human assistant would provide assistance.

Moreover, Copilot goes beyond answering questions. It can also assist users in rewriting text, helping them enhance their written content. By leveraging AI algorithms, Copilot analyzes the context and offers suggestions for improving the text, making it more concise, coherent, or stylistically appropriate. This functionality demonstrates the collaborative nature of this kind of solution, working together with users to enhance their productivity and efficiency.

Additionally, Copilot's integration across applications within the Windows 11 operating system allows it to perform functions across multiple contexts. Whether offering code suggestions in development environments, providing productivity tips in productivity apps, or assisting with various tasks in different applications, Copilot aims to be a versatile AI-powered assistant across the user's digital ecosystem.

Overall, Microsoft’s new Copilot is looking to exemplify the concept of a digital AI cobot by seamlessly integrating with the user's workflow, leveraging AI capabilities to provide intelligent assistance, and collaborating with users to enhance their productivity and performance across multiple applications within Windows 11.

The collaboration between humans and AI is expected to become even more prominent in the future. As AI cobot technology advances, it will become more sophisticated, versatile, and reliable, leading to increased adoption by companies in various industries. Using them will enable workers to focus on creative and solution-oriented tasks, enhancing personal development and contributing to a more attractive work environment. Humans and cobots will work together in the same space, handling repetitive and tedious tasks, while humans oversee and supervise the operations. The interaction between humans and cobots will continue to evolve, with cobots being easier to program and adjust, making them more accessible to non-experts.

What will the rise of cobots mean in the translation industry?

Cobots can play a significant role in streamlining localization processes and improving efficiency. There are three trends in which they are already being applied in the localization industry:

1.????Global Content Transformation and Generation: The first trend is the accelerated incorporation of generative AI-driven automated translation into the workflow to produce target copy in combination with traditional MT methods. Industry leaders now aim to improve the accuracy of MT with the creative capabilities of Large Language Models (LLMs) to exploit the fluency of AI and achieve the best of both worlds. Under the supervision of human linguists, companies like Intento, Smartling, and Translated have modified their processes to combine the power of traditional Neural Machine translation with the creativity of AI.

2.????AI for Quality Estimation: Another trend involves using AI to assess and enhance translation quality throughout the localization workflow. LLMs can be employed to identify errors in translations and then used to fix those errors, leading to a self-healing capacity. This trend expands the application of AI beyond spot-checking translations to a more comprehensive quality estimation process. Companies like Netapp utilize AI for internationalization and user experience (UX) design, addressing not only language issues but also code-related concerns. By leveraging AI's ability to write, assess, and fix code, as well as identify and resolve internationalization issues, localization companies can enhance the overall quality of their output.

3.????Workflow Automation and Transformation: The third trend involves leveraging AI for workflow automation and transformation. Localization companies are adopting AI technologies to automate various aspects of the localization process, leading to improved efficiency and productivity. For example, AI is being applied to template design in JSON and other formats, enabling faster and more streamlined localization processes. Additionally, AI is impacting areas like Desktop Publishing (DTP), Text to Speech, and automated subtitling. The use of synthetic voice technology is transforming the voice-over industry, while automated subtitling is becoming increasingly accurate. Furthermore, AI-driven solutions are being implemented for geo-targeting, geo-positioning, and personalized content creation. These advancements allow localization companies to cater to specific audiences, adapt content based on personas more easily, and provide more flexible and affordable localization services.

In summary, the three trends in which AI is finding applications in the localization industry include global content transformation and generation, AI for quality estimation, and workflow automation and transformation. These trends aim to improve translation accuracy, enhance translation quality, automate localization processes, and enable more personalized and efficient localization services.

What other trends do you see emerging? I see great potential to pursue much more international hyper-personalization with the help of AI, agreed? One thing is becoming clear, AI is the electricity of the 21st century. Ignore it and your business is likely to be left in the dark soon.