Partech and Oxford Science Enterprises have co-led a £25m Series A investment in a London-based AI review software company.
Founded in 2014, Prolific has created a platform for researchers to source people to stress test AI models. Its services are used by the likes of Google, the University of Oxford, King’s College London and Stanford University.
Omri Benayoun, general partner at Partech, said: “Its roots in academia means that it has applied the highest standards to quality, while its technical expertise brings innovation that sets it apart from anything else out there.”
Prolific said it plans to use the funding boost to continue growth in the US and develop its AI review software, including adding additional “highly specialised” research groups.
Its platform lets companies manage the sourcing, pre-screening, vetting and payment of feedback for their AI systems.
Providing human feedback on models is a crucial part of the training process for many AI systems, particularly generative AI models.
Benayoun added: “Where others rely on manual recruitment methods, Prolific has built a research infrastructure covering everything from the recruiting and vetting of participants to integration of research tools.”
Prolific said it currently has approximately 120,000 active human reviewers. Since its launch, it has paid more than $100m to its reviewing community.
By using humans, the business hopes it will eradicate problems that occur with developing AI, including inaccuracy or hallucinations, bias and copyright.
Prolific became profitable in 2020 but has raised the fresh capital to grow its operations. It currently has a team of over 100 people.