Key points from the expert panellists at the APPG Modern Languages Meeting held on 23 June 2025.
Dr Lucas Nunes Vieira from the University of Bristol presented research commissioned by CIOL, revealing the widespread but risky use of AI translation tools across UK public services. His comprehensive study involved 2,500 frontline public service professionals, with detailed follow-up research among 18 social workers in child protection, adult services, and mental health.
The research showed that one-third of frontline workers are already using AI translation tools in their daily work, often on personal devices through openly accessible web interfaces. This practice poses significant data privacy risks.
The research highlighted several high risk uses of AI translation in critical contexts:
- Medical consent forms: NHS staff using basic machine translation for written consent documents that shape treatment decisions and legal liability
- Translating prescriptions/Medication dosing information: Particularly risky given AI’s poor handling of numerical data
- Complex medical terminology: A vicious circle where staff use AI translation specifically for the most complex terminology – precisely when accuracy is most crucial and mistakes most common
- Health record coding: Using AI to guide input information into permanent NHS health records, potentially “cementing” incorrect information that could affect future care
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