Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been making rapid strides in recent years and the idea of “singularity” looms large in the field. Singularity, in the context of AI, refers to the moment when AI exceeds human control and rapidly transforms society. The concept is difficult to predict and understand, but some AI researchers are on the hunt for signs of reaching singularity.
One such metric for measuring the progress towards singularity has been developed by Translated, a Rome-based translation company. The metric, known as Time to Edit (TTE), calculates the time it takes for professional human editors to fix AI-generated translations compared to human ones. Language is considered one of the most difficult AI challenges and a computer that could close the gap in this area could theoretically show signs of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI).
“That’s because language is the most natural thing for humans,” says Translated CEO Marco Trombetti. “Nonetheless, the data Translated collected clearly shows that machines are not that far from closing the gap.” The company has been tracking its AI’s performance since 2014 and has analyzed over 2 billion post-edits. The data collected shows a slow, but undeniable improvement as the AI gradually closes the gap towards human-level translation quality.
If this trend continues, we may approach technological singularity by the end of this decade, or even sooner. A computer that can translate speech as accurately as a human could change society in ways we can’t even imagine. The concept of singularity is difficult to predict, but metrics such as TTE may provide a glimpse into how close we are to reaching this event horizon.
In conclusion, the development of TTE metric by Translated and the data collected shows that AI is closing the gap towards human-level translation quality and if the trend continues, we may be approaching singularity. The ability of AI to translate speech as accurately as a human could be a sign of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and a step towards singularity, which may have a significant impact on society.
