SPOTLIGHT: AI Isn't Just Faster Translation, It's a $40B Tug-of-War for Global Attention. | Bryan Murphy, CEO @ Smartling

Bryan Murphy, CEO of Smartling, confronts a $40 billion industry stuck in the slow lane—the world of translation. Most companies still handle translations like it's 1999: manual, expensive, and painfully slow. Bryan saw AI as the game changer that could rewrite the rules, but integrating it wasn't a walk in the park.

He shares how Smartling harnessed AI to not just cut costs and speed up translation but to finally boost quality close to human-level precision without losing control over brand voice or nuance. Yet, making this leap meant upheaval: reorganizing teams, hiring AI experts, and establishing ruthless R&D discipline to separate winning ideas from distractions.

Bryan also shares:

- Why a $40 billion translation industry was ripe for disruption

- How AI helped Smartling move from faster and cheaper to dramatically better

- What it took to bring AI into a traditional business without sacrificing quality or brand voice

- Why hiring the right AI talent was critical to making the shift

- How ruthless R&D discipline helps separate breakthrough ideas from distractions

- Why every AI initiative needs a clear connection to customer outcomes

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction to Bryan Murphy and Defining the Translation Challenge

02:30 - The Hidden $40B Translation Market and Its Untapped Potential