Marinus Analytics, which helps law enforcement fight human trafficking, will compete for a $3 million grand prize for demonstrating how humans and AI can collaborate to tackle the world’s greatest challenges
PITTSBURGH (January 30, 2020)—Marinus Analytics, the Pittsburgh-based technology company that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to fight human trafficking, has been named as one of 10 global semifinalists for the $3 million IBM Watson AI XPRIZE.
Spanning four years, the IBM Watson AI XPRIZE competition began in 2017 with 147 companies representing 22 countries. The Semifinalist Judging Summit will take place in New York City from February 11-13. Three finalists will then be selected to present at TED2020 in Vancouver, BC. The winner will receive a $3 million grand prize. The runner-up will receive $1 million, and third place will be awarded $500,000.
“We’re honored and humbled to have been named among this elite group of companies that are changing the world through artificial intelligence,” says Marinus Analytics President and Cofounder Emily Kennedy. “We’ve already been making global impact in fighting human trafficking through our collaboration with law enforcement agencies in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Winning this prize would give us the means and resources to fast track our goal of making a difference in more countries across the globe.”
XPRIZE is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded in 1994 that encourages technology development that benefits humanity. The organization awards prizes to companies in the areas of Space, Oceans, Learning, Health, Energy, Environment, Transportation, Safety, and Robotics.
Founded in 2014 out of Carnegie Mellon University Robotics, Marinus Analytics is a women-owned company. Marinus Analytics uses AI to get actionable insights out of big data for public safety, government agencies, and private companies. The flagship tool, Traffic Jam, helps law enforcement agencies efficiently pinpoint the person in the data, ultimately revolutionizing the way they are able to stop and prevent human trafficking, recover victims, and dismantle organized criminal networks.
“When dealing with human trafficking, timing is everything—the window of time for a law enforcement agency to locate a victim of human trafficking is razor thin,” explains Kennedy. “Our AI tools are augmenting the human investigative process. By using our software, law enforcement officers and data analysts--such as those at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)--can detect patterns within massive amounts of data in minutes and hours that they would otherwise be sorting through with the naked eye over many weeks and months.”
Listen to Kennedy describe the story and impact of Marinus Analytics during TEDxPittsburgh 2019 here.
Contact:
Andrew Gordon
andrew@nearbycreative.com
(412) 254-4408
Tim Colbert
tim@nearbycreative.com
(201) 284-9987
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