Prolific Secures £25 Million to Enhance AI Services
Prolific, a reputable platform based in London, UK, has recently made headlines by securing £25 million in funding to enhance its innovative services. The investment round was co-led by prominent global tech investment firm Partech and Oxford Science Enterprises (OSE), both known for their expertise in nurturing technology-driven companies. Prolific aims to utilize these funds to further refine its offerings in artificial intelligence, particularly by expanding its dedicated research teams, which will be easily accessible through its advanced platform. Founded in 2014 by Phelim Bradley, who serves as the CEO, Prolific has established itself as a vital resource by connecting AI developers with over 120,000 active participants eager to provide insights from diverse backgrounds.
The core mission of Prolific revolves around improving the quality of AI applications and addressing significant issues that currently plague the industry.
One of the primary concerns is accuracy; the phenomenon of ‘hallucinations’—where AI systems provide confident yet incorrect responses—can undermine trust in technology. Prolific tackles this problem through a method known as Reinforcement Learning by Human Feedback (RLHF), which involves human participants reviewing and refining AI model outputs. This process not only enhances the accuracy of AI responses but also fosters a more trustworthy relationship between users and the technology that serves them. By engaging real people rather than bots, Prolific has created a reliable mechanism for AI developers to fine-tune their applications effectively.
Another pressing issue that Prolific addresses is bias in AI models, which can stem from the demographics and backgrounds of those involved in data annotation. Research has consistently shown that a diverse pool of annotators leads to more representative and fair AI systems. Prolific’s extensive and verified participant network is designed to minimize bias, contributing significantly to the development of more equitable technological solutions. Additionally, as concerns over copyright and the provenance of data yet again take center stage, Prolific ensures the clarity and transparency of sourced data, adhering to the proposed regulations by the European Parliament. With over 22,000 active researchers participating in studies every year—one being launched every three minutes—Prolific has achieved remarkable milestones, all while expanding to a team of more than 100 dedicated employees.
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