Zurich, Switzerland, March 19, 2026 — As AI continues to reshape multilingual communication, Interprefy CTO Andrey Schukin believes the future of international events will depend on how effectively organisations combine AI-powered speech translation with human expertise.
For many events, Remote Simultaneous Interpretation (RSI) has been a trusted solution for organisers running multilingual events. Experienced interpreters bring precision, cultural understanding and the ability to manage complex, high-stakes content in real time. That remains incredibly valuable.
At the same time, AI-powered speech translation has advanced quickly. Audio translation and live captions can now achieve a level of quality that is acceptable for many audiences, while also offering lower costs and much simpler logistics. These advantages are helping to drive wider adoption of AI-powered multilingual solutions across the events industry.
But while AI capabilities continue to improve, language is about more than words alone. Meaning depends on logic, tone, context and intent — all of which remain difficult for AI to interpret consistently in live environments.
According to Andrey Schukin, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Interprefy, the real opportunity lies not in choosing between human expertise and AI, but in combining both.
According to Andrey Schukin, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Interprefy, the future lies in combining both.
The future of multilingual events is not human or AI — it is human and AI working together. The strongest outcomes come from combining the scalability of technology with the judgement, contextual understanding and trust that only people can provide. — Andrey Schukin, Chief Product and Technology Officer, Interprefy
AI can transcribe, translate and deliver multilingual content in real time, helping organisers reach wider audiences without large overheads. But language is about more than syntax. Meaning depends on tone, logic, context and intent.
While speech recognition and neural machine translation continue to improve, AI speech translation still struggles with complex, technical or culturally sensitive content. Many tools have limited contextual memory, which increases the risk of inaccuracies, inconsistency and hallucinations.
Real-time speech makes this even harder. AI performs best on complete input, but live human speech is fast, unfinished and often ambiguous until the thought is complete.
That does not mean AI cannot perform well. For standardised business content, structured presentations and clear terminology, AI translation can already deliver strong results. But for high-stakes events, human expertise remains vital.
For Schukin, the most effective model is one where human interpreters and AI-powered speech translation work together.
In this approach, human interpreters handle sessions where nuance and judgement are critical, while AI helps extend access across more languages, more sessions and larger audiences. This gives organisers more flexibility and makes multilingual delivery more scalable and cost-efficient.
One example of this model in action was a 25-hour live-streamed event delivered in 70 languages, combining 14 human interpreter channels with 55 additional AI-powered channels. The event reached 53,000 participants across 192 countries, showing the scale that hybrid intelligence can achieve.
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AI is giving organisers more choice. It can make multilingual access possible for smaller sessions and breakout rooms that may not justify the cost of human interpretation alone.
But there is no single solution that fits every event. Some sessions are well suited to AI speech translation. Others require RSI. Audience expectations, speaker style and content complexity all need to be considered.
That is why organisations should test AI speech translation on content similar to the planned event and over longer periods of time. Some tools struggle with faster speech or lose quality over time.
AI will continue to improve, especially as models become better at handling context, tone and specialist terminology. But until technology can fully understand meaning the way humans do, human oversight will remain essential.
For organisers planning multilingual events today, the strongest approach is to use AI where it adds scale and efficiency, and human expertise where accuracy, trust and nuance matter most.
Interprefy is a global leader in cloud-based, multilingual communication services. Founded in Switzerland, the company aims to empower global communication by providing innovative solutions that leverage advanced AI technology and human expertise, enabling seamless multilingual communication for events and gatherings worldwide. Interprefy enhances engagement, inclusivity, and sustainability in the event industry through its commitment to technological innovation and environmental responsibility.