There are two ways to create multilingual content: Generating it from scratch or translating already existing content. Both methods and respective industries have experienced major shifts throughout the past year as AI took the world by storm.

At first, people were sceptical about AI’s capabilities and fears of being replaced. But as time has progressed, we witnessed broad acceptance and usage of AI models like OpenAI’s GPT. Now, AI is going to play an even bigger role for us (and really anyone), with Google announcing its own model; Gemini.

Is Google Gemini better than GPT?
What are my learnings from AI taking over in 2023?
And how will AI change the translation industry forever?

In this piece, I will dive into these topics and share my forecast for the year 2024.

Major changes in the generative AI industry

Google has undergone significant changes in its algorithm over the past year, driven by the looming threat of AI-generated content. This has ignited fierce competition between Google and OpenAI. Now, adding to the complexity is the introduction of Google's new generative AI model, Gemini.

What is Google Gemini?

Google Gemini distinguishes itself with multimodal capabilities, seamlessly understanding diverse information types, such as text, code, audio, image and video. With three scalable versions, Gemini is slated for integration into services like Search, Ads, and Chrome. Prioritising collaboration and emphasising tool/API integrations, Gemini aims to be the most powerful AI, excelling in various domains.

OpenAI GPT-4 vs. Google Gemini

Both Google and OpenAI underscored their ongoing efforts to enhance data safety and accuracy, representing an important advancement in the field of AI. However, there are key differentiating factors distinguishing the two AI giants.

OpenAI’s GPT-4 prioritises creative replies, an extended attention window and a range of diverse features. Google Gemini’s main advantage is its ability to browse the web and pull up the latest information. It outperforms GPT-4 at answering questions related to current events. Another noteworthy difference is Gemini’s capability to operate on-device rather than relying on cloud servers.

In sum, the capabilities of Gemini are promising but the outcome of the generative AI battle remains uncertain as the two tech giants navigate the ever-evolving AI landscape.

The future of the translation industry

The AI industry itself was not the only one that experienced major changes. Large Language Models (LLMs) also had a tremendous impact on the translation industry with many questioning the role and future of translation.

When we launched AI Content Generation at EasyTranslate at the beginning of 2023 we were one of the first companies in the translation industry to implement generative AI. Since then a lot has changed and it made me realise three major things.

1. Not just the technology itself but how we accept and implement AI is what makes all the difference.
2. I think that AI is amazing and good enough for a lot of tasks. However, to be able to build a successful business on it you need to create significant added value and not just a new, pretty interface of GPT. I learned that you need humans in the loop to build a product that users are willing to pay for. The training by humans is what allows us to create brand-specific models that generate accurate and original content unique to each brand.
3. Localisation needs to be approached differently. Leveraging the speed of AI, we are now presented with two options to provide multilingual content that is both original and of human quality:

a. Creating content from scratch directly in the desired languages. This can be achieved through generative AI and additional copy editing by skilled and well-briefed copy editors.

b. Translating using the immense powers of AI with human assistance when needed. I realised that we can benefit from the same AI models we use for content generation. Through advanced, customised machine learning, we can translate at a high speed and low cost while maintaining a unique brand voice and the quality of human translations. I am excited to share more about EasyTranslate’s latest innovation soon.

Conclusion

In sum, the generative AI battle intensifies between Google and OpenAI, with Google's Gemini introducing strong competition. The unpredictable nature of the ongoing competition underscores the need for adaptability in the rapidly evolving AI landscape. As CEO of EasyTranslate, I will keep a close eye on further developments to stay at the forefront of technology. In 2024, businesses like ours will have to keep up with the fast-paced changes in the AI industry to maintain relevance, search engine visibility and continuous growth.

Beyond the battle between the two tech giants, AI has impacted and transformed the translation sector forever. As we move forward, the translation industry faces the challenge of redefining approaches to content creation and translation, leveraging AI speed while preserving quality and unique brand voices. As an early adopter of generative AI in the translation industry, EasyTranslate's commitment to innovation doesn’t end with just generating content. Going into 2024, we’re looking at promising developments in AI-driven translation that I can’t wait to share soon.

Until then, I wish everyone a joyous holiday season and a happy, healthy and successful new year!