When asked about the pros and cons of using AI for language interpretation at events, Gemini,  noted its plus points of being cost effective, scalable, fast and accessible. It also recognised its own inefficiencies of nuance, context, accuracy, lack of flexibility and total dependence on a good internet connection.

It also highlighted that it can be easily thrown off by poor audio quality (background noise or weak microphones), regional accents, and speakers talking too fast or interrupting each other.

Ultimately it recommended a hybrid approach.

-Interpreters in booths for your Keynote Plenary Speeches, and High-Value Panels where context, tone, and cultural sensitivity are critical.

-AI for Breakouts, Internal Communications, Live Captions, and Translations for more languages where budget and scale are concerns.

Conclusion:

Human interpretation is still the gold standard. This is what AVD specialise in. AVD can look at AI for you but ultimately there is no guarantee and no liability with AI interpretation. Qualified human interpreters will at least carry liability insurance.

If you are using AI get the basics right. Make sure the venue can dedicate an internet connection to your event. Connection should always be wired, (not Wi-Fi). Talk to the technical team directly, don’t just take the sales teams reassurances, and use a microphone discussion system to provide the audio.

The old adage of ‘rubbish in = rubbish out’ holds true.