Checkstep - AI-based content moderation
by Startacus Admin
The lowdown on UK-based startup Checkstep and its innovative AI-powered solution for contextual content moderation.
Anyone who has ever peeked into the world of the internet is aware of how unpleasant it generally is anywhere that people are allowed to post comments. From petty arguments all the way through to straight up racism, child exploitation, and threatening behaviour, just about every online community is full of vitriol and people who shouldn’t be allowed to communicate with other humans.
This, of course, gives rise to the need for moderators - people who manually trawl through posts and comments, looking for this kind of poor behaviour to get rid of it. They are aided by tools to automatically delete comments and maybe ban users when they see certain words, and to flag less clear-cut but still questionable content. The problem is that these tools usually only look for pre-programmed terms, meaning that there remain plenty of ways for people to circumvent automatic moderation.
This is where UK startup Checkstep comes in. The startup’s platform provides human moderators with more powerful tools to keep their online spaces safe.
The most powerful of these is cutting-edge machine learning so that moderators can have an AI partner doing a better job than the usual word-search tools. The AI can review not only text but, unlike most current systems, can also look at images, video, audio recordings, and can be customised for specific needs. This lowers the number of ways that people can circumvent automatic moderation, addressing anything from spam and scams, to bullying and hate speech, to the spread propaganda, and it provides the human moderators with an explanation for every decision it makes.
It can also look specifically for things that aren’t necessarily problematic, but are against the client’s policies, and because of how intelligent it is, the time spent teaching it new policies is greatly reduced. This allows the human moderators to spend their time on the more ambiguous issues.
In May, Checkstep announced that it had raised £3.95 million in a Seed round led by Dawn Capital and Form Ventures, with participation from the founders of GoCardLess, Indeed, and Redbus Media Group. This funding will go towards further developing the platform’s capabilities and making it the place to go for content moderation.
Subscribe to our newsletter
If you would like to receive our startup themed newsletter, full of the latest startup opportunities, events, news, stories, tips and advice, then sign up here.
Participants in Catalyst’s Co-Founders programme offered opportunity to avail of a £10,000 proof of concept grant from Techstart to help validate their business idea.
Atoa announces pre-seed funding for its solution to empower and improve cash flow for independent, small and mid-sized UK retail merchants.
 Tong Gu, Reem Mobassaleh Wyndham and Monik Pham.jpg)
Pact launches its first £30M fund to back early-stage European tech startups using technology for economic inclusion, well-being and climate solutions.
Paris-based startup Immortal Game uses blockchain technology to add a new dimension to the most played board game in the world.
Co-Founders seeking people with innovative ideas and desire to create startups that could change the world for its 2023 programme.
Marketers - want to turn shoppers into customers this Black Friday? Marietta Chatzidiakou, Senior Content Consultant at Digital Ethos shares some tips on how to do just that.
Data from more than 500 companies reveals the core health of SaaS startups and assesses how European companies have performed relative to American counterparts.
The lowdown on Symphony, the startup that'll give you a front row seat to enjoy the finest live performances by some of the most famous orchestras in the world...
.png)
SeedLegals, the leading legal automation platform for startup funding steps into backing blockchain marketplace in carbon-neutral deal.
The lowdown on Boxlist, the AI-powered social network aiming to be your new go-to place for discovering TV and film recommendations across all streaming services.
Published on: 20th June 2022
If you would like to enable commenting via your Startacus account, please enable Disqus functionality in your Account Settings.
- Catalyst and Techstart offering startup co-founders the chance to win £10k proof of concept grants 30th Nov 2022 Participants in Catalyst’s Co-Founders programme offered opportunity to avail of a £10,000 proof of concept grant from Techstart to help validate their business idea.
- UK fintech Atoa secures $2.2M pre-seed round as it kills Visa and Mastercard fees for businesses 24th Nov 2022 Atoa announces pre-seed funding for its solution to empower and improve cash flow for independent, small and mid-sized UK retail merchants.
- Female-led Pact Launches £30m Seed Fund 24th Nov 2022 Pact launches its first £30M fund to back early-stage European tech startups using technology for economic inclusion, well-being and climate solutions.
- Catalyst's Co-Founders programme opens for applications 23rd Nov 2022 Co-Founders seeking people with innovative ideas and desire to create startups that could change the world for its 2023 programme.
