Language takes center stage as AI reaches turning point
The world spent years waiting for a transformative moment in the development of artificial intelligence (AI). During that time, there was no shortage of experts weighing in on what form the revolution would take. Many expected self-driving cars to be the AI application that changed the world, or automated drones delivering goods to people’s doorsteps. However, when the inflection point arrived, it didn’t start with any of these visions from Hollywood movies. It began with something much more fundamentally human. The AI revolution started with language.
Two years on from the arrival of generative AI and large language models (LLMs), we’re rapidly approaching another inflection point for the technology. We’ve moved on from businesses asking themselves whether they should adopt AI, to now asking how they should adopt AI. Which of the many proliferating forms of AI can generate real value for them? Which should they invest in?
DeepL CEO Jarek Kutylowski pointed out in his opening keynote at DeepL Dialogues this month that the answer to these questions must necessarily be language.
The AI platforms that are delivering some of the most immediate value to enterprise organizations today are those specialized in language. They are trained specifically to help human beings communicate better. At DeepL Dialogues, a wide range of speakers testified to the impact this has had on their businesses. They explained that language and localization is moving from a specialized function that’s the concern of one department, to a C-suite priority that’s fundamental to business strategy and global growth. Their stories focused on two reasons why language matters more than ever in the age of AI.
Unlocking the potential of people at scale
Language matters because it has a transformative impact on the potential of international businesses’ most widespread and valuable asset: their people.
Several customers at DeepL Dialogues spoke about how Language AI empowers employees to collaborate more easily and contribute more confidently. In her fireside chat with Jarek, REWE digital’s Product Owner for Knowledge Management, Mareike Heidemann-Jarosch, described how DeepL Translator has transformed productivity for her business in under a year, and accelerated onboarding with colleagues from different countries able to step into teams seamlessly. She spoke movingly about the impact of Language AI on wellbeing, talking in particular about the confidence that employees gained from using DeepL Write to help them communicate more clearly.
Delivering the personalized language experiences that customers demand
Language also matters because it’s fundamental to the personalized experiences that customers now expect — and it’s therefore fundamental to international businesses’ ability to grow.
Harvard Business Publishing’s Associate Director Multilingual Services, Derick Fajardo, joined Jarek onstage to explain why localization of content is becoming a business imperative. He explained that enterprise organizations can no longer hide behind the assumption that English is the language of business. Customers are aware of the capabilities of AI, and see no reason why an organization wouldn’t engage with them in their preferred language. Localization at scale is, therefore, vital for organizations looking to grow internationally. It makes the application of AI for language an investment priority, and one that’s discussed at the highest levels.
The value of an AI platform specifically built for language
DeepL’s platform doesn’t treat language capabilities as a by-product of AI. It’s entirely focused on these capabilities. Our next-generation LLM is the product of a relentless, ongoing, research-led approach to deepening understanding of languages and finding new solutions for better communication. It’s specifically designed for language, trained on proprietary data that’s carefully curated for that purpose, and tutored by thousands of language experts to guide its grasp of context and the nuance of how humans communicate. It’s able to learn language in a similar way to how humans themselves learn. This results in translations that are preferred by language experts 1.3x more often than Google Translate, 1.7x more often than ChatGPT-4, and 2.3x more often than Microsoft.
The ROI you can measure—and the still greater ROI that you can’t
The return that enterprise organizations get from this type of specialized Language AI are hugely impressive. “The Total Economic Impact of DeepL”, a commissioned study conducted by Forrester in 2024 on behalf of DeepL, calculated an ROI of 345% over three years.
It’s a number that can’t be ignored. And yet, according to Christiaan Philipsen, Language Center Lead at KBC Bank, headline ROI numbers only tell part of the story. Beyond them are the returns businesses can’t easily calculate. Christiaan spoke at DeepL Dialogues about the intangible impacts of Language AI across all areas of a business. They include the reduced risks of miscommunication, access to a far broader customer base, and the reassurance of data security and compliance that comes with a Language AI platform built for enterprise organizations.
The impact of Language AI is impressive even when you just focus on efficiency savings. But when you look at its impact across every aspect of how an organization operates, you realize why it’s becoming one of the most important sources of value for enterprise organizations. We’re now at another inflection point for AI. And just like before, it’s language that holds the key to the future.