Key facts
- DeepL CEO Jarek Kutylowski believes AI can completely remove language barriers in international business interactions.
- The company aims for AI to facilitate fluent conversations where participants can speak their native languages.
- DeepL's real-time AI voice translation product, DeepL Voice, reportedly outperforms competitors in accuracy and fluency.
- DeepL acquired Mixhalo to deploy its technology at major events and in customer support settings.
- Kutylowski noted that while AI can translate words, it cannot fully convey cultural context and historical understanding.
At VivaTech 2026, DeepL CEO Jarek Kutylowski articulated a vision where artificial intelligence completely erases language barriers in business. He believes AI can enable seamless, real-time translation during international meetings and calls, allowing participants to communicate in their native tongues while understanding each other perfectly.
Kutylowski highlighted that platforms like Microsoft Teams and Zoom are ideal for integrating such technology due to their existing audio infrastructure. He stated that DeepL's product, DeepL Voice, has been independently assessed as highly accurate and reliable, outperforming competitors. The company's recent acquisition of Mixhalo, a low-latency audio platform, is intended to expand its reach into live events and customer support scenarios.
Despite his confidence in AI's translation capabilities, Kutylowski acknowledged its limitations in capturing the deep cultural nuances and historical context inherent in language. He drew parallels to learning mathematics by hand even with calculators, suggesting that language learning remains essential for human growth and cultural understanding. Kutylowski expressed interest in learning Japanese as his next linguistic challenge.