[AI Chat] DeepL CEO "AI Breaks Language Barriers... A Partner Helping Companies Expand Overseas"

Yarek Kutilovsky DeepL CEO Interview
"Preparing for Korea Business Trip and Children's Education with DeepL"
"Improving Productivity with AI... Human Intervention Is Necessary"

"AI is the optimal tool to break down language barriers."

Jarek Kutyłowski, CEO of AI translation service DeepL, said this in an interview with Asia Economy on the 9th. CEO Kutyłowski visited Korea for the first time ahead of DeepL's paid service launch in Korea this August.

DeepL is a startup headquartered in Germany. It trains vast amounts of data on an artificial neural network modeled after the human brain, producing highly accurate and natural translation results. While it shares the basic principles with generative AI like ChatGPT, it is a translation-specialized AI trained exclusively for translation. This year, it was valued at 1.3 trillion KRW and joined the unicorn club (companies valued at over 1 billion USD). Including the Korean service launched in January, it supports a total of 31 languages.

Yarek Kutilovsky, CEO of DeepL [Photo by DeepL]

CEO Kutyłowski predicted that AI translation would increase work productivity. He himself prepared for his business trip using DeepL before his first visit to Korea. For market research, he translated Korean articles and used DeepL Write, an AI writing service, to prepare presentations. Besides his native German and Polish, he also used AI when reading and writing emails in other languages. CEO Kutyłowski emphasized, "Translation is one of the most tedious tasks," adding, "Just as Excel replaced manual calculations, if AI takes over translation, people can focus on problems that are difficult to solve."

He also forecasted that business opportunities for companies would expand. AI lowers language barriers, making overseas expansion easier. This includes reviewing overseas legal or contract documents and supporting communication with local customers. DeepL has secured over 60,000 corporate clients worldwide. Among them, the French website automatic translation company Weglot manages multilingual websites for 50,000 companies using DeepL's application programming interface (API). The API is a program development tool that can be combined like Lego blocks. Japan's Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) offers English and Chinese article translation services to its paid subscribers using DeepL.

Yarek Kutilovsky, CEO of DeepL [Photo by DeepL]

As AI translation is utilized in various fields, translation quality is also improving. Accordingly, while AI can partially replace translators' work, it will not fully substitute them, according to CEO Kutyłowski. For example, literature such as plays and novels requires expressing invisible artistic value, so it must go through human hands. He said, "Professional translators use DeepL for initial drafts and do the final revisions themselves to improve work efficiency," adding, "As the economy develops and the world becomes closer, the demand for translation will increase, so AI and humans will coexist in their respective areas."

AI is also heralding significant changes not only in industry but also in education. As writing and translation services become more widespread, foreign language learning methods may change. CEO Kutyłowski explained, "My children also use DeepL when studying foreign languages," adding, "It's like having an AI tutor beside them providing immediate feedback." In such an environment, understanding concepts and principles is more important than accumulating knowledge. It means understanding mathematical principles without needing to practice exact calculations.

While highly valuing AI's influence, he emphasized the need for human involvement. Risks can arise if tasks are automated or decisions are fully entrusted without human supervision. CEO Kutyłowski said, "When an AI doctor advises on treatment methods, we need to understand how it reached that conclusion," and "Humans must retain control over decision-making." He supports some regulation at a level that does not hinder innovation. He added, "AI will provide great help to humanity overall, but it also presents challenges," concluding, "DeepL will focus on helping people worldwide communicate through AI."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.