
In short:
NO
The long answer:
Although machines may do an acceptable job with simple texts, I truly believe it is very difficult for any robot or computer to replace human intelligence. And I am not even adding “for the time being” here, as any cautious writer would. I dare to state that AI will never replace human intelligence for the following reasons:
1. Human language is a unique trait of our species. In fact, it is what separates us from animals, and it is something that is neither fixed nor static. All human beings are born with the capacity to acquire and develop language, but all human beings acquire and develop language individually. There are individual and cultural differences (at both macro and micro levels). This makes language something that is alive, that is constantly changing and transforming. In short, to produce a good translation of texts created by humans, it is necessary to rely on at least one other human being. Sometimes the translation must be assisted by the very author of a text, since some texts lend themselves to ambiguities (such as literary works). Therefore, a computer will not be able to replace us unless it becomes human, and such an idea is equivalent to imagining becoming God, because we would have to be capable of giving life to a computer, that will in turn be gifted with the ability of understanding texts the way we humans understand what we produce.
2. Even if we were to become capable of giving life to a machine, it would be logical that the first thing we would do is set limits on what that AI could do and understand. Science fiction has already given us an idea of what may happen in a world where machines are fully conscious and autonomous.
For these reasons, I believe it is impossible for human translators ever to be replaced. The greatest danger we face does not come from machines, but from other humans who, in order to save an insignificant amount of money, prefer to hire translators who are not sufficiently prepared, or dispense with them altogether, which results in classic examples of mistranslations.
AI helps, but it will never replace us.
