Lost in translation

This week Google South Africa announced major upgrades to its Google Translate function – used in 103 languages by more than 500 million users worldwide. For the first time since Google began in 1998, the Google Translate app will now include full isiZulu, isiXhosa and Kiswahili translation functionality. "Machine learning", Google's artificial intelligence team explained, is also being used to drastically improve existing Google search services. The major announcement, slipped in quite casually at a press conference held at Google's local headquarters in Johannesburg, was included in an explanation of machine learning by Blaise Aguera y Arcas, principal scientist for machine learning and artificial intelligence at Google. Aguera y Arcas steers a research team of 300 who are exploring the possibilities of emerging artificial intelligences.