US-based AI translation platform Unbabel announced on Wednesday the launch of a new AI-driven translation service called Widn.AI, a product based on the company's proprietary large language model (LLM), Tower. Vasco Pedro, CEO of Unbabel, stated that human translators may become entirely unnecessary within three years.
Pedro revealed in an interview that Unbabel's large language model enables AI to translate 32 languages. He believes this is the first time AI has the capability to fully replace human translation abilities.
Pedro said, "A decade ago, when we started at Unbabel, AI was not at its current level, so we focused heavily on creating hybrid solutions that combine AI with human input. But now, we believe that translation is fully within the capabilities of AI, and in many cases, you can do it without any human involvement."
Unlike Unbabel's traditional products, Widn.AI does not require human editors to check translation results. Pedro noted that while humans still have a slight edge in very challenging cases, this advantage is very weak, and he finds it hard to imagine needing humans for translation in three years.
Pedro acknowledged that revenue per translated word would "significantly decrease." However, he expressed that the volume of translated content would increase, which would sustain the company's growth. Unbabel is in talks with investors to raise between $20 million and $50 million to drive the growth and development of Widn.AI.