Prolific secures $32M funding to train and stress-test AI models via its vast network of 120K individuals

London-based startup Prolific has raised £25 million ($32 million) in funding to expand its AI model training and stress-testing platform. The round was co-led by Partech and Oxford Science Enterprises (OSE). Prolific, founded in 2014, already boasts Google, Stanford University, the University of Oxford, King’s College London, and the European Commission among its customers. The platform taps into a network of 120,000 human participants to test products, train AI systems, and evaluate the performance of AI applications. The new funding will be used to enhance the product offering and expand the participant base. Prolific was conceived as a solution to the challenge of finding a comprehensive cross-section of people to respond to research questions in a timely manner. The platform enables researchers to source participants directly and compensate them for their time. Prolific pays its volunteer freelance participants a minimum of $6-$8 per hour, resulting in $100 million paid out to date. The platform currently focuses on providing human intelligence to improve AI, but has no plans to expand beyond AI applications in the future.