iMerit, a startup based in California and India, has positioned itself as a trusted data annotation partner for numerous companies engaged in computer vision, medical imaging, autonomous mobility, and various other AI applications. During these nine years, iMerit has consistently established itself as a trusted partner in improving data quality. They call for an increased focus on better data (not just more data) to chart the AI future.
iMerit’s unconventional business model is what makes it special. It continues to serve, proudly, some of the most cutting-edge AI firms, from three of the big seven generative AI companies to eight of the top autonomous vehicle (AV) manufacturers. In addition, the company works with three of the largest U.S. government agencies and two of the top three cloud providers. Today, iMerit still continues to crush growth at a blistering trajectory. It has a 91% retention rate of its experts, and half of its workforce are smart women.
At the heart of iMerit’s work is the groundbreaking “Scholars” program. This project fosters tangible exchange between prototypes and client/consumer models. It gives the teams the ability to create and test their own challenges for the models to solve. Today, iMerit provides meaningful, flexible work to more than 4,000 Scholars, and as the company scales its operations, that number is expected to grow exponentially.
Describing iMerit as “the adults in the room” is Rob Laing, iMerit’s Vice President of Global Specialist Workforce. He especially highlights its commitment to ensuring robust safety standards in AI training. Laing observes that there is a massive amount of money pouring into the development of AI. Yet at the same time, he highlights a major point of concern about the quality of outputs produced from quick mass approaches to workforce deployment.
“A lot of money is being spent on AI right now. There are some very intelligent people building large platforms of human workforces. The output that they’re getting from that mass approach and that very quick speed to market approach is not at the level of quality that enterprises need.” – Rob Laing
This focus on quality is reflected by Radha Basu, iMerit’s CEO and founder. She emphasizes the importance of human expertise in AI systems, especially in highly regulated industries such as medical imaging. Basu argues that without specialized knowledge, such as that provided by cardiologists or physicians, AI outputs may fall short of accuracy.
“If you don’t have the expertise of the cardiologist or the physician, what you’re doing is basically creating something that’s maybe 50% or 60% accurate.” – Radha Basu
Basu insists that AI systems should strive for perfection. At least 99% accuracy, he says, should be the bar. She supports a more expert-driven approach to AI development that fosters rigorous questioning and testing of models.
“You want to question the model. You want to break it. You want to fix it. That is what expert-led AI is making possible for enterprise.” – Radha Basu
While iMerit’s Scholars program focuses on developing their technical expertise, it builds a strong sense of community and collaboration among its members. According to Laing, joining the program allows experts to connect with team members rather than remaining anonymous within a database.
“Instead of someone being a name on a database, when someone joins the Scholars program, they actually meet folks on the team.” – Rob Laing
This peer-driven, talent-detecting environment keeps the bar high and guarantees that only the strongest, most interesting cats end up in the program. According to Laing, selection is even more selective than it needs to be because they want to protect the integrity and quality of that workforce.
“They have collaborative discussions. They’re very much pushed to work at the highest possible level. And we are very, very, very selective about how we bring people in.” – Rob Laing
Looking ahead, Laing believes that companies prioritizing engagement, retention, and quality will become essential partners for organizations looking to train their AI systems effectively.
“I think what we’re going to see over the next couple of years is that companies like iMerit that are really focusing on that engagement, that retention, and that quality, are going to be the go-to companies for people to train the AI.” – Rob Laing
iMerit is looking to continue their rise up the ranks in the AI data services sector. By focusing more on quality than on quantity, it is positioning itself at the forefront of turning artificial intelligence into a safer and better tool for different sectors. The vibrant startup fosters a social entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to high standards of practice. Clients looking for reliable collaborators for their AI endeavors will most certainly welcome such a pledge.