China hastens to break down Babel barrier with large language models and wearable tech
No longer the domain of sci-fi or tech pranksters, translation glasses and earbuds are reality as Chinese firms fuse AI and AR hardware
How close are we to rebuilding the legendary Tower of Babel? China is rolling out a suite of AI tools that may soon make cross-language communication seamless.
In the Bible’s Book of Genesis, humanity came together to build a tower that would reach the heavens. To disrupt their ambitious project, God introduced one simple change: people would speak different languages.
Chaos engulfed the construction site, and the unfinished tower came to be known as Babel – a word derived from the Hebrew for “confusion”.
The metaphor is clear: language barriers hinder human collaboration.
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China shows off latest AI innovations at international conference in Shanghai
Science fiction author Douglas Adams took the idea further in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. He introduced the Babel Fish – a small, yellow fish that, when placed in the ear, could instantly translate any alien language, complete with accents and dialects. With it, interstellar diplomacy and even cross-species romance became possible.