In conversation with Dr. shreeram Iyer, Founder and CEO, Prisma AI.
A History of Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence has been growing since its inception in 1956. It has then grown from a simple concept to one of the leading elements in today’s technology-driven world. In the present day, almost all technologies are based on artificial intelligence, ranging from self-driving cars to actual robots in development. We have virtual assistants who can effectively converse with us, as well as control the electronic devices of our houses. Artificial intelligence is a term that is rapidly growing with technology, and vice versa. There is no true upper limit to what can be achieved with artificial intelligence in the future.
TimesTech: Please share some details about the growth journey of Prisma AI.
Shreeram: Prisma AI was originally established as Prisma Global GmbH in 1981, by ex-IBMers in Germany to focus on text recognition. At that point, it had signed up its first two customers, later it was bought by a third party. In 2003, Prisma entered a partnership with Patni Computer Systems, then moved on to image recognition from text. In 2008, Prisma developed its patented algorithm, Gryphos, to standardize an image recognition operating system platform. In 2013, both German and Indian companies of Prisma were merged, resulting in Prisma Global Limited (India) acquiring 51% of Prisma GmbH (Germany) and later, in 2016, the remaining 49% of Prisma GmbH.
In 2017, Prisma AI Corporation Pte. Ltd. was incorporated and an Asian headquarters was set up in Singapore, resulting in significant advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning-enabled expansion of visual recognition solutions and better training of AI models and accuracy. By 2019, Prisma AI was experiencing significant contract growths, including many notable clients. As of 2021, Prisma has set up Prisma AI (USA) and is targeting a listing in the USA. Since then, Prisma AI’s technologies and innovations have grown over the years, being fortunate to set up nuances in technology for clients and customers.
For instance, one of the leading kitchens in the airline industry approached Prisma in late 2019 to support them with tech in their kitchen surveillance, wherein, there were instances of adulterating the food to be served to the airline, due to some labor issues. Prisma AI’s technology Gryphos acted as vigilance for quality control. Additionally, Prisma AI has successfully implemented algorithms with object recognition interfaces and real-time decision-making interfaces (APIs and SDKs) which can recognize any object irrespective of its type – animate or inanimate, living or non-living, natural or artificial.
TimesTech: What is the vision behind Prisma AI?
Shreeram: Prisma AI’s vision is to build a safer and more empowered society with the help of visual artificial intelligence. We seek to enable the power of AI to change the world with state-of-the-art artificial intelligence-based technologies and solutions. Ever since its inception, Prisma AI has been working on providing the best products and solutions powered by artificial intelligence and all of its innate and future capabilities.
Prisma AI is managed by professionals with vast knowledge and experience in the IT arena and driven to help human workforces, supplementing them with the additional support of artificial intelligence, which can greatly accelerate workflows, save time and costs, and also help in the discovery of new insights and opportunities. Prisma AI has been actively operational in providing solutions and products to many big sectors today such as aviation, banking, manufacturing, mining, and many more.
TimesTech: What are your strategies for growth in the coming years?
Shreeram: Prisma AI is consistently innovating ever since its inception, from text-based recognition to image-based and now from body behavioral analysis to sentiment analysis. Prisma AI has grown from Germany to India, and Singapore and is now targeting a listing in the USA, being a prime location that is ripe for expansion.
Prisma AI plans to expand and grow by hiring a USA sales team, who can source deals and projects. Additionally, Prisma AI aims to work with its investors for further business leads and acquire an international CCTV systems integrator. Prisma AI aims to further expand internationally in key countries in the coming years.
TimesTech: How is visual artificial intelligence helping businesses grow?
Shreeram: Visual artificial intelligence is helping all kinds of businesses to grow exponentially, transforming them radically with it’s potential. Visual-based AI, which refers to computer vision, is an application of AI that is playing a significant role in enabling a digital transformation by enabling machines to detect not only images and videos but also the very elements present within them, such as people, objects, animals and more.
Artificial Intelligence is continuing to evolve across the various sectors, helping in the development of video analytics and image scanning features, which are core to visual artificial intelligence. For instance, the retail industry has grown due to the applications of AI, such as sentiment analysis helping to gauge customer satisfaction with the services provided to them, and also detection of any theft taking place in any of the shopping isles.
For the Automation industry, computer-vision-based defect detection during the production process of vehicles is proving to be a huge help, as it greatly speeds up manufacturing and quality checks for defects. In infrastructure, highways are now monitored by smart surveillance systems with license plate recognition software enabling high speeds capture of the license plates of vehicles breaking traffic and road laws.
TimesTech: What major trends can we expect in the Visual Artificial Intelligence sector in the near future?
Shreeram: Artificial intelligence is such a tool that it can grow indefinitely with the passage of time. With the technology-driven era we currently live in, we can always be prepared for the unexpected, as currently, artificial intelligence does not have a limit to its capabilities. We already have self-driving cars, which are only reserved for certain classes of people. Eventually, we will have different types of self-driving cars that will be more widely accessible to the population.
We can expect proper automation of traditional human workflows, leading to machinery eventually replacing, or at least, greatly supplementing manual human labor. In a near future, we can have actual humanoid robots, smart technology that instantly scans a person’s face for their details to enable seamless and instantaneous payments, alongside a face as a ticket to entry to public spaces. Computer vision technologies will be capable of detecting and analyzing all elements in real-time footage at high speed and accuracy. There are many more possibilities in the future with the potential that Artificial Intelligence is capable of accomplishing.
TimesTech: What gives you an edge over your competitors? What is Prisma AI’s USP?
Shreeram: Prisma AI has its own proprietary patented AI algorithm and in-house system, Gryphos, which enables the development of its products and solutions. Gryphos uses machine learning, and deep convolutional neural networks, in order to create a deep learning system. The Gryphos exemplary deep learning system is utilized by us to make recognition and analysis for faces, objects, videos, images, and body movements as well as predictive analysis using cognitive intelligence.
Prisma AI has developed technologies such as facial recognition, license plate recognition as well as body behavioral analysis engines that employ decision science in their functioning, which can scan license plates of vehicles moving at high speeds and use that to automatically deduct toll payments or detect persons of interest. Body behavioral analysis engine can allow accurate analysis of body movements to better understand the movements of any person and detect any person of interest by their suspicious actions. Prisma AI has provided various solutions with great results to many large sectors including, retail, education, aviation, infrastructure and many more.
Prisma AI generally avoids usage of hardware and instead opts to use already existing CCTV and camera infrastructure, creating ease of use and functionality thus saving revenues. All of Prisma AI’s products and solutions can be customized uniquely for each of their clients and are easy and fast to deploy, which makes Prisma AI unique and the first choice of customers for Visual AI solutions.
