Lost, and gained, in digital real-time translation
Alphabet, the parent company of Google, recently announced the launch of real-time translation (RTT) in Google Meet, its popular video communication service.
While text translation has been available for a while and conversation was possible on mobile phones — Apple Translate, for instance — by recording in one and replaying in another language, RTT when 100 people are conversing across the globe on an online communications platform is a leap. Add to it Google Beam, a device capable of rendering immersive 3D videos. The result would be a video conference in 3D with participants talking in their preferred language. The translation reaches listeners in the voice and tone of the speaker making it super realistic. Behind all this is Google's upgraded artificial intelligence-based large language model (LLM) Gemini, whose self-description if you ask it, is, 'I am a super-smart computer program that can understand and talk with you'.
Until OpenAI's bot ChatGPT burst into the public domain, speaking to computers was a skill to be acquired in advanced university courses. It took a few years for a student to have proficiency in Basic, C++, SQL, Java, Python, or any of the other languages required to give commands in logical sequences and unique syntax to computers to get tasks done. Artificial intelligence removed that qualification. LLMs have it in reverse. Instead of humans speaking computer code, the bots learnt human languages. Now, it is possible to chat with computers in English, Hindi, German, Chinese, or, if duly trained, in even less spoken languages. RTT takes it to a new level.
It could be a blessing for India which speaks, quite literally, in a thousand and more tongues. There are 22 officially recognised languages and close to 20,000 dialects. It is an uphill task when dialects and cultural contexts change every few miles, but it opens up numerous possibilities and opportunities. Ideas could flow freely. Talent spotting and hiring could become easier. RTT can also provide some unexpected political benefits too should we choose to look at it with an open mind.
India can protect and preserve its language diversity. Parliamentary debates could become richer when members speak in their preferred language. It's a stretch but language chauvinism could diminish; south Indians would not need to learn Hindi and Indians north of the Vindhyas could skip Tamil or Kannada lessons. It is quite another matter that the underlying reason for language conflicts is not necessarily the lack of comprehension but a contest between zealous regionalism and rasping nationalism. Yet, technology presents a chance to overcome them, at least in the online world.
On the flip side, it neutralises the advantage India has had so far as an English-speaking country. The IELTS, a test of English proficiency, will lose its relevance. The competitive edge in IT services and outsourcing industries of knowing English would erode as AI-based RTT catches on. Translation as a vocation would eventually vanish. Work could dwindle for professionals such as dubbing artists.
The other, more sinister fallout of the technology is it will likely abet fraud. It would become easier to impersonate someone and victims rarely have recourse. Mumbai, for instance, reported over 2,000 cyber fraud cases in four years to April 2025 but only two have so far ended in convictions. Deep Internet and mobile phone penetration combined with the lack of awareness and skills makes matters worse.
India has 81 mobile connections for every 100 persons. Although it is a major global player in the tech sector, its population is not very high on information and communications technology skills. More than half of Indians are good at communicating through applications such as WhatsApp, but just a quarter of adult Indians know how to send emails. Only 1% know how to code. Yet, advances in AI tech offer Indians constrained by language and location to quickly bridge their skill gap. India has among the world's cheapest costs for communication. Combined with the breaking down of language barriers, it is an opportunity should we choose to see it for what it is.
Dinesh Narayanan is a Delhi-based journalist and author of The RSS and The Making of The Deep Nation. The views expressed are personal
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
20 minutes ago
- Time of India
CEO Sundar Pichai reveals Google's ‘Most Important Metric' and how company is tracking it
Google CEO Sundar Pichai revealed that AI has boosted software engineering productivity by 10%, a metric the company actively tracks. Google measures this by assessing the increase in engineering capacity, in hours per week, gained through AI tools. Google CEO Sundar Pichai has claimed that artificial intelligence (AI) is increasing the productivity of the company's software engineers. He also noted that the Alphabet-owned tech giant is actively measuring the impact of AI on its engineers. During a recent episode of the "Lex Fridman Podcast,' Pichai explained that Google is closely observing how AI is boosting the output of its software developers. As per Pichai, it is "the most important metric,' and the company 'carefully measures it.' He even mentioned that Google actively measures 'how much has our engineering velocity increased as a company due to AI?" Pichai noted that the company currently estimates a 10% boost in engineering velocity attributed to AI. How Google tracks AI's role in increasing productivity of its engineers According to a report by Business Insider, a Google spokesperson explained that the company tracks AI's role in improving productivity of software developers by measuring the increase in engineering capacity created, in hours per week, through the use of AI-powered tools. To put it simply, it's a way of measuring how much extra time engineers are gaining for using AI tools by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo As for whether Google expects that 10% figure to continue rising, Pichai didn't clarify. However, he noted that agentic capabilities, where AI can take actions and make decisions more autonomously, will unlock the "next big wave." Google has also developed its internal tools to assist engineers with coding. Last year, it launched an internal coding copilot named "Goose," trained on 25 years of Google's technical history, Business Insider previously reported. While AI is playing a growing role, Pichai said during the podcast that Google still plans to hire more engineers next year. 'The opportunity space of what we can do is expanding too,' he said, adding that he hopes AI will reduce some of the grunt work and free up time for more enjoyable aspects of engineering. Meanwhile, the company is also monitoring the volume of code being generated by AI within Google, a figure which is reportedly on the rise. At Alphabet's most recent earnings call, Pichai mentioned that more than 30% of the company's new code is now generated by AI, up from about 25% in October 2024. Apart from Google, Microsoft UK CEO Darren Hardman said its GitHub Copilot coding assistant now writes 40% of the company's code at London Tech Week this week. He noted that this change is 'enabling us to launch more products in the last 12 months than we did in the previous three years.' In April, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg predicted that AI could handle half of Meta's developer work within a year. HP EliteBook Ultra Review: Thin, light, power in a premium package AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Time of India
25 minutes ago
- Time of India
IGNOU launches MBA programmes in Hindi and Odia
New Delhi: In a move aligned with National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) announced the launch of its MBA programmes in Hindi and Odia mediums, with corresponding study materials now available in both languages. This initiative is part of a larger collaboration with All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) under the E-Kumbh project, a national effort to translate core academic content into twelve Indian languages. Using AICTE's advanced machine translation tool, Anuvadini, IGNOU successfully localised its MBA curriculum to better serve learners who prefer to study in their native languages. The university also plans to roll out MBA programmes in 10 more Indian languages, making a significant stride toward eliminating linguistic barriers in management education. "This initiative marks a milestone in our pursuit of educational equity," said Mrutyunjay Behera, joint secretary, department of higher education, ministry of education. "By offering MBA programmes in regional languages, IGNOU is bringing professional education closer to the grassroots, in full alignment with NEP 2020's emphasis on multilingual and inclusive education. This is more than a policy implementation, it's a cultural transformation in education." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với mức chênh lệch giá thấp nhất IC Markets Đăng ký Undo Professor Uma Kanjilal, vice-chancellor, IGNOU, expressed gratitude to the dignitaries and partners, adding, "Technology is the key enabler here, allowing us to create high-quality educational experiences across languages. Our mission is to ensure that no learner is left behind, regardless of their linguistic background." Dr Abhay Jere, VC, AICTE, emphasised the transformative role of artificial intelligence in education. "We are entering a new era where AI is enabling real-time translation and localisation of content at an unprecedented scale. The Anuvadini tool represents a powerful step in making education truly borderless," he said.
Time of India
26 minutes ago
- Time of India
Meta builds AI superintelligence lab, eyes $10 billion deal with Scale AI's Alexandr Wang
Why Meta's betting big on Wang and Scale AI Live Events Zuckerberg's long game: From early losses to AI powerhouse AI arms race: The billion-dollar club What's already in motion at Meta (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Meta is setting up a new artificial intelligence research lab with a bold goal: to develop 'superintelligence,' a system that could surpass human cognitive abilities. The news, first reported by The New York Times, marks Meta's most ambitious AI project to the centre of this effort is Alexandr Wang , the 28-year-old founder and CEO of Scale AI. He is expected to play a leading role in the new lab's operations. Meta is also in advanced discussions to invest over $10 billion in his start-up, according to a separate report by Bloomberg. The deal may also see a number of Scale AI staff transition to companies declined to comment on the has emerged as one of the most prominent figures in the AI industry. His company, Scale AI, supplies data infrastructure essential for training large language models — the same kind used in AI systems like ChatGPT. His addition to Meta's team reflects a larger recruitment drive by the tech to sources cited by The New York Times, Meta has offered compensation packages ranging from seven to nine figures to top researchers from rivals like Google and OpenAI. Some have already agreed to come on push to hire top AI minds comes amid internal challenges. The company has faced management struggles, employee churn and several underwhelming product launches in its AI division, two of the people familiar with the matter told the Zuckerberg, Meta's chief executive, is not new to the AI race. After losing a bid to acquire DeepMind in 2013 — a key moment that propelled Google's AI efforts — he launched Meta's first dedicated AI lab the same year. Since then, Meta has invested heavily in AI, building tools for content moderation, recommendation engines, and now, generative sees 2025 as a turning point. 'AI is potentially one of the most important innovations in history,' he said in February. 'This year is going to set the course for the future.'Meta has earmarked up to $65 billion for capital spending on AI infrastructure this year is not the only tech firm placing massive bets on AI. Microsoft has invested over $13 billion in OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT. Amazon has pumped $8 billion into Anthropic, while Google paid $3 billion last year to license technology and recruit talent from a start-up known for its conversational companies are all chasing artificial general intelligence (AGI), a system that can replicate human intelligence across any domain. Meta, however, is setting its sights even higher — superintelligence , which would go beyond AGI in both scope and superintelligence remains a theoretical goal, it's considered by leading researchers to be the ultimate destination for AI before the formation of this new lab, Meta had begun rolling out AI products at scale. Last month, the company revealed that its AI assistant now supports over a billion monthly active users across apps like Facebook, Instagram, and February, CNBC reported that Meta was preparing to launch a stand-alone Meta AI app in the second quarter, along with a paid-subscription model similar to OpenAI's the high costs and intense competition, Meta appears determined to lead the next wave of AI innovation — and with Wang on board, it's signalling that this ambition is more than just stakes are clear. If Meta succeeds, it won't just catch up to its rivals — it could redefine the field. With billions in play, the hiring of Wang, and a lab focused on the frontier of AI capabilities, Meta is gambling big on a future where machines might not just match human minds — but exceed the industry, and for users around the world, the outcome of this gamble will shape the direction of technology for years to come.
