Keyur Thakkar

Change Agent, Connector, Engineer, Entrepreneur, Explorer, Idea generator, Philanthropist, Student, Technologist, World traveler

I'm a senior software and AI engineer from Gujarat, India, and a TED Translator who subtitles talks into Gujarati and Hindi. Over the years, I've subtitled more than 150 talks, brought friends into the program, and grown into a Language Supervisor. This year, that work was recognized when TED named me one of 15 global champions in its first-ever Review Cup. By day, I build AI systems, and I'm pursuing a part-time PhD in generative AI, and lately I've been bringing the two worlds together: using AI to translate faster while keeping a human check on everything before it ships, so nothing meaningful gets lost. My goal is to help other translators work this way too, so far more ideas reach far more people in their own language. I also run a YouTube channel where I explain AI in plain language using everyday analogies, because the same barrier that locks ideas behind a language locks them behind jargon. Whether it's a language or a concept, I'm trying to remove whatever stands between a person and an idea worth understanding.

Making ideas accessible across languages, and using technology to do it without losing the human touch. I think about the person on the other side of a subtitle: the student, the parent, the curious person in a small town who finally gets to understand a talk that shifts how they see the world. I also care deeply about AI done responsibly, where it amplifies people instead of replacing them.

Knowledge shouldn't depend on the language you were born into. For most of history, the best ideas only reached the people who spoke the "right" languages. I think we're at the first moment when that can change at scale: AI can break the language barrier, and if we keep human judgment in the loop, we can make the world's best ideas belong to everyone, in their own tongue. Access to ideas, not just access to the internet, is what truly levels the playing field.

Artificial Intelligence, Fintech, Full-Stack Development, Software Engineering, Translation & Localization

A college mentor introduced me to TED translation, and it quietly reshaped my life. I dove in early, translated and reviewed talk after talk, and grew into a Language Supervisor. In 2020, I was selected to attend the TED conference in person, and then the world shut down, the conference moved online, and I never got to walk into that room. Years later, I'm still translating, now as an AI engineer who has built tools to translate and review faster while keeping a human check on every subtitle before it ships. This year, that approach helped me become one of 15 global champions in TED's first-ever Review Cup, representing Gujarati and Hindi. The dream of finally being there hasn't faded, and I'm reaching for it again.

Design. Most people see the engineer and the translator, but I designed my company's logo and brand identity, and I love the craft of making something look effortlessly simple. (I'm also a decent cook when no one's watching.)