Language, once considered a domain of human interaction and expression, is now a critical operational layer that permeates branding, marketing, product development, knowledge management, customer service, and even internal collaboration. The advent of large language models (LLMs) has amplified this shift, enabling brands to leverage language as a dynamic tool for efficiency, innovation, and connection.

The start of 2025 brings in new goals and expectations across different aspects of language operations. With rapid advancements in technology, particularly in generative AI, we’re witnessing a fundamental shift in the way global content is created, adapted, and localised. Over the past year, I’ve been energized by these developments, not merely because of their efficiency or cost-saving potential but because they challenge us to rethink the creative and operational frameworks that underpin global branding and communication.

A Moment of Reflection: Lessons from Transcreation’s Rise

Reflecting on the early days of transcreation, I’m reminded of the transformative conversations that reshaped how global brands approached global content adaptation. At that time, the idea of producing local versions of global campaigns in a centralized hub was both refreshing and disruptive. It spurred a cascade of innovations in team structures, asset management, and centralized production workflows. Allowing global brands to appoint independent creative agencies without a network, and at the same time creative hotshops have the capabilities to win and retain global clients from one single office. These discussions – focused on balancing quality with efficiency – laid the groundwork for the centralized and scalable systems many brands rely on today.

Now, with the rapid development of generative AI, I sense a similar moment of transformation -one that holds even greater potential to redefine the disciplines of language and content creation.

Here’s why:

Generative AI: A Catalyst for Change in Global Content Creation

Generative AI offers capabilities that challenge traditional silos in global branding and language operations. The technology is not just a tool for automation but a platform for reimagining collaboration, creativity, and cultural relevance. Key areas where I envision generative AI driving innovation include:

1. Decentralized and Collaborative Ideation

Generative AI allows for global creative platforms to be ideated, conceived, and refined in any market, language, or culture—and in real time. This is a profound shift from the historically English-centric approach to global campaigns.

Collaboration tools enhanced by AI also facilitate smoother communication across departments and geographies, breaking down silos and fostering innovation, enabling creatives from diverse markets to articulate big ideas and anticipate challenges in adaptation. By empowering talent in any region to lead, we’re moving toward truly “global-ready” creative platforms where ideas can flow bidirectionally—whether originating from Tokyo, China, São Paulo, or Nairobi.

2. Blurring the Lines Between Translation, Transcreation, and Localisation

Generative AI’s ability to produce culturally nuanced and fluent language outputs is blurring the distinctions between these disciplines. What I’ve long referred to as “creative adaptations” is finally becoming a unified process. Foundation models, powered by brand-specific data, are already producing more coherent outputs across creative and technical content.

Key developments include:

• Integrating brand terminology at the system level, ensuring consistency across all languages and content types.
• Implementing supervisory agents within agentic workflows to maintain alignment with a brand’s tone, voice, and cultural context.
• Grounding outputs in proprietary knowledge, creating more seamless integration across creative and technical writers and teams.

The result? Greater coherence and cultural sensitivity across all touchpoints.

3. Foundation Models as Living Brand Guardians

Traditionally, brand guidelines have been static documents—invaluable but cumbersome. Generative AI enables the creation of dynamic, living brand style guides, grounded in “brand truth” and continuously refined with proprietary data. These AI-driven guidelines act as virtual partners, providing:

• Real-time feedback on language and multimodal content creation.
• Dynamic adaptability to changing market contexts or evolving brand narratives.
• Enhanced consistency in tone, design, and cultural relevance across platforms.

This approach transforms static guidelines into an evolving resource that grows alongside the brand.

4. The Rise of Branded Conversational Interfaces

As generative AI evolves, brands are becoming increasingly conversational in their tone of voice. The next generation of customer-facing chatbots will be “branded customer agents,” and will be considered as brand ambassadors in their own right, serving as the primary touchpoint in customer journeys. Unlike traditional chatbots (and “chatbots” won’t be the right term to justify their significant role), these agents will:

• Reflect the brand’s personality and tone of voice, shaping perceptions in real time.
• Replace traditional corporate website hierarchies, allowing users to access information or services via natural language queries.
• Create seamless, human-like interactions that enhance customer experience and deepen brand loyalty.

This shift will redefine the role of brand websites, transforming them from static repositories into dynamic, conversational platforms that adapt to each user’s needs.

Looking Ahead: Opportunities and Challenges

While the promise of generative AI is vast, it’s essential to approach these advancements with a balance of optimism and critical thought. AI is a double-edged sword in our industry – it empowers us to push boundaries, stretch production possibilities, and localize content at scale, yet it also raises critical challenges around intellectual property, ethical use, and fair remuneration.

Yet, as we’ve seen in past industry evolutions, the challenges are often the catalysts for innovation. The integration of generative AI into language operations is an opportunity to reimagine not just how we create and adapt content but how we connect with audiences across cultures, languages, and platforms.

As we step into 2025, I’m excited to see how these trends unfold and to be part of the conversations shaping the future of language in branding. 

Let’s chat.