In 2025, localization was dominated by AI. Localization is one of the fields best prepared to use AI, and industrial localization processes became dependent on it. Large Language Models are well suited to assist with language services.
The uncertainty is economic and ethical: Will the "AI bubble" burst? Will investors withdraw from AI firms? Will some AI services become unavailable or open source? How far will AI users go in overlooking intellectual property and environmental costs?
Information security and service availability remain top priorities for enterprise clients. This gives the language and language technology industries a chance to assert themselves: We know the language to make models work and how to create smaller independent models that still meet automation needs.
The language industry will expand into content creation. In 2026, most content will be AI-generated, but the top 1–5% will be made by humans. "AI or human" labels will become increasingly important. The value of using AI, as well as the added value of human work, will become clearer by the end of 2026.
Balázs Kis, Chief Evangelist, memoQ