Why We’re Betting on AI – With a Human in the Loop

As artificial intelligence transforms workflows across industries, localization teams are wondering: will it replace our roles, or enhance them?

“We see AI as a co-pilot, not a replacement. It’s here to support creative, global teams – not override their expertise.” Antoine Borrelly, founder of Gleef

At Gleef, we’re optimistic. Applied thoughtfully, AI can eliminate the tedious parts of localization – like repetitive formatting, key duplication, or contextless string management – while giving teams more time to focus on cultural nuance, UX, and brand voice.

If you’re interested in another expert take, we highly recommend reading our interview with Marie-Anne Chaloupecky, UX writer and founder of UX Writer FR.

From Repetition to Relevance: Where AI Really Helps

One of the biggest sources of friction in localization is time – and how much of it is wasted on repetitive, low-value work:

• Linguists correcting tone or terminology inconsistencies
• Designers discovering layout issues only after handoff
• Developers manually untangling key naming conflicts

With Gleef, AI helps across the entire product workflow, not just in production. Because our tools are embedded where teams already work – in Figma, in code editors, and in the studio with linguists – AI suggestions are always contextual and always actionable.

Our ecosystem automates:

• Key naming and duplication prevention for developers
• Layout-aware translation previews for designers
• Tone, glossary, and style guide alignment for linguists and PMs

“The real opportunity of AI isn’t speed – it’s freeing humans to focus on the strategic and creative parts of localization.”

Why Context Still Comes First

We believe context is non-negotiable. Most localization failures – robotic tone, broken layout, mismatched meaning – happen because strings are translated in isolation.

That’s why Gleef is built to deliver context wherever localization happens:

• In design tools like Figma, where translations are previewed inside real layouts
• In code, where developers work with structured keys and instant AI suggestions
• In content interfaces, where editors can review translations in actual UX copy

By anchoring AI in real context, we ensure smarter suggestions and fewer surprises downstream – whether you're translating a button, a help article, or a full interface.

“Poor translation isn’t about bad AI. It’s about missing context.”

Testing, Learning, and Building in the Open

We’ve been closely tracking the evolution of large language models, attending industry panels, webinars, and engaging in ongoing discussions around their role in creative translation work. Every new insight we gather gets tested against real-world use cases across the Gleef ecosystem – from design to development to content review.

One thing has remained clear: while AI is increasingly capable, it still needs human oversight to deliver quality outcomes. A well-defined glossary, a tone-of-voice guide, and clear localization rules can dramatically improve its output – but only when those tools are controlled by the people who truly understand the product. That’s why Gleef is built to keep humans in the loop, giving teams full control over what AI suggests, edits, or proposes. If you're curious about how this approach shaped our product from the ground up, take a look at our article Revolutionizing Localization: From Vision to Product.

Our Vision with AI

Our roadmap keeps expanding – with features that make localization not only faster, but smarter and each release brings us closer to a future where localization is seamless, not siloed – and deeply embedded in how teams work.

We’re not building localization AI to replace teams – we’re building it to empower them. Designers, developers, product managers, and linguists all bring different perspectives to the table. Gleef helps them work better, together.

“The future isn’t fully automated. It’s smart, collaborative, and built into the tools you already use.”

If you’re working on a global product and want to spend less time managing files and more time creating great localized experiences – we’d love for you to try Gleef and share your feedback.