Bill Rivers on the new Trump Admin and AI in Interpreting

Bill Rivers, an experienced language industry advocate, discussed the new administration’s impact on language services, noting potential chilling effects on immigrant communities. He highlighted the steady growth of the language industry despite past administrations’ policies. Rivers emphasized the importance of language access laws like Title VI and the ACA, which remain in effect. He also detailed the SAFE-AI Task Force’s efforts to ensure ethical AI use in interpreting, including a survey with 2,500 responses and four key principles: autonomy, transparency, choice, and accountability. Rivers stressed the need for continued collaboration and advocacy to adapt to AI advancements while maintaining high standards in language services.