The following is an extract from Guy Harrison’s upcoming book AI, Blockchain and Quantum Computing due in October/November 2024.
In Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, various alien races were able to communicate with each other thanks to the Babel Fish, which, when placed in one’s ear, decoded brainwave emanations from one species to provide instantaneous translation to the other. In Star Trek, a “universal translator” allowed instantaneous translation between any alien species and humans.
Until recently, these universal translators have existed only in the domain of science fiction. Of course, we have had clunky AI-based translation programs like Google Translate for a while now. But while these can help you find a find a bathroom in a foreign land, they can’t possibly allow for sophisticated real-time debates between those with no common language.
But with generative AI, we have created a universal translator between virtually all known human languages. Concepts and ideas can now be translated instantaneously between languages without the need for a human translator, with a quality we couldn’t have imagined a few years ago. Traditional translation programs often struggle with context and nuance, but generative AI language models can eliminate most mistakes in translation and are much better at preserving complex ideas in translation.
How will this impact global affairs? It’s yet to be seen. It’s long been understood that world leaders often say different things when speaking to the international community in a common language, than when speaking to their native constituencies in their own language. The ability for any of these pronouncements to be correctly translated may force a sort of higher level of honesty. It’s possible that when foreign language papers can be directly and instantaneously translated, we’ll have a better understanding of how other groups think. It’s hard not to think that with the ability to break down language barriers between groups, we will see an increase in understanding between groups that are traditionally in conflict.
It seems to be a truism that groups sharing a common language more often share common stories, goals, and beliefs. All the major languages have embedded within them assumptions and implications based on their origins. English, the de facto language of the internet, has its roots in Christian religious beliefs and in the ideas of Western civilization such as capitalism, personal liberty, etc. Chinese languages inherently reflect ideas from Confucianism and Buddhism, while languages spoken in Islamic cultures include influences from the Quran.
When we can have our arguments translated in a nuanced, correct, and instantaneous way between these different languages, will this result in an era of greater understanding? It remains to be seen. Nevertheless, the development of the universal translator must be seen as an enormous achievement of generative AI.