January 20, 2025

Davis Powell, CEO of Seed Company, on the Explosion of AI in Bible Translation (Ep. 123)

1 hour 3 minutes

Davis Powell, CEO of Seed Company, was raised in a Christian home in South Carolina and at a young age, decided to become a medical missionary. However, in his junior year of college, he felt led by the Spirit to follow a different path. Through a series of providential events, Davis was exposed to the work of Bible translation and a passion was ignited within him.

Davis now serves as the CEO of Seed Company, a Bible translation company with two primary focuses—collaboration with other Great Commission organizations and impact acceleration with the help of indigenous community leaders and technology. Davis was full of stories about how fast the work of Bible translation is moving, with a particular emphasis on the brand new integration of AI into the process. You won’t want to miss this one!

Major Topics Include:

The history and heart behind Seed Company

How Bible translation models have changed in recent years

The challenge of engaging hard-to-reach language communities

Empowering indigenous communities to work together toward full Bible translation

Working with indigenous speakers to tailor the process for their community context

A walk through of the cyclical, community-centric translation process

Transformative stories from working with non-believing translators

AI as a tool in Bible translation

Collaboration with other translation agencies

Exciting projections for Bible translation in the next decade

QUOTES TO REMEMBER

“Missionaries have to deal with borders, the Word of God doesn’t. Missionaries have to figure out how to start the church; the Word of God gives the perfect blueprint for starting the church.”

“When the Word of God is planted, it transforms everything.”

“We can, in our generation, see the Word of God get to every language community. But may it not be said that we didn’t let the Word of God be in our heart language.”

“Scripture must be clear, accurate, natural, and acceptable.”

LINKS FROM THE SHOW

Seed Company

Young Life

Wycliffe Bible Translators (see our interview with CEO John Chesnut)

Unto

Operation Christmas Child

International Mission Board (IMB)

Jesus Film Project (see our interview with Executive Director Josh Newell)

Faith Comes by Hearing (see our interview with VP Morgan Jackson)

Meta–No Language Left Behind

IllumiNations Bible Translation Alliance (see our interview with Todd Peterson or John Chesnut)

The Finish Line Community Facebook Group

The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

BIBLE REFERENCES FROM THE SHOW

Proverbs 3:5-6 | Trust In the Lord

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Psalm 19:1 | Creation Declares His Glory

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

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By The Finish Line Team

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