DeepL Launches AI Agent to Compete with OpenAI and Others, Eyes Long-Term Growth Over IPO

Translation startup DeepL has unveiled a new AI-powered "agent" designed to compete with industry leaders like OpenAI, marking a strategic expansion beyond its core translation services. The company’s CEO, Jörg Kutylowski, said the technology is capable of assisting users with a wide range of tasks, from research to managing repetitive office workflows. "We found out that the technology is as capable of helping you whenever you're doing research or whatever you're doing," Kutylowski explained. "All of those tedious tasks in your office when you have to switch between different systems and take some data from one system, put it into another one—AI and those autonomous agents, and the DeepL Agent in particular, can help solve so much better." DeepL’s translation platform has long been powered by its own self-developed large language models. The new DeepL Agent builds on this foundation, leveraging both DeepL’s proprietary models and external AI systems from other providers. This hybrid approach aims to deliver robust performance across diverse use cases. While the AI agent market is still in its early stages, interest remains strong. Investors continue to pour capital into AI-driven startups, as demonstrated by Anthropic’s recent funding round, which valued the Amazon-backed company at $183 billion. The broader tech landscape is also showing signs of momentum, with fintech firm Klarna and cryptocurrency exchange Gemini announcing plans for upcoming initial public offerings. When asked by CNBC if DeepL was considering an IPO, Kutylowski confirmed it was not a short-term priority. "That's not a short term plan that we would be considering right now," he said, signaling the company’s focus on product development and market expansion before exploring public market entry.