IdentifAI, a startup founded by Marco Ramilli and Marco Castaldo, has announced that it has closed a €5 million funding round led by United Ventures. This investment, which comes less than a year after the previous €2.2 million investment, highlights the shared commitment to developing technologies to combat the malicious use of deepfakes and promote a transparent and secure information environment.
Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming the defining technology of our time. According to a recent report by UNCTAD, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development based in Geneva, the global AI market is expected to grow from $189 billion in 2023 to $4.8 trillion by 2033, a 25-fold increase in just ten years. By that date, AI could quadruple its share of the global frontier technology market, rising from 7% to 29% and emerging as the dominant force in the sector. With regard to deepfakes in particular, a recent Deloitte study conducted on a sample of media users returned worrying results: half of those surveyed said they were more sceptical about the accuracy and reliability of online information than they were a year ago. Among respondents who are familiar with or use generative AI, 68% also said they fear that synthetic content could be used to deceive or cheat them, and 59% said they find it difficult to distinguish between media created by humans and that generated by AI. Finally, 84% of respondents familiar with generative AI agree that content developed with this type of technology should always be clearly labelled.
IdentifAI uses an advanced AI-based platform that detects, with a high degree of probability, whether content, images, videos or voice recordings have been produced or manipulated by generative AI or are authentic human creations.
“I believe that our background in cybersecurity, which characterises our approach and makes us extremely responsive in updating our detection technologies whenever a new generator emerges on the market, is a key factor in our competitiveness,” says Marco Castaldo, co-founder of IdentifAI, in a statement.
Through this new round of funding, IdentifAI will be able to make progress in internationalising the company towards the European and US markets, where it already has a team in place, as well as supporting research and development into increasingly high-performance degenerative models.
“Our intention, from the outset, has been to build a global company, because we believe that truth is a universal value that should be shared and defended globally,” adds Marco Ramilli, co-founder of IdentifAI (pictured).
“ IdentifAI is developing technology that provides real answers to one of the most pressing issues related to AI development: distinguishing between what is real and what is fake. Starting in Italy, in just a few months they have demonstrated their ambition, vision and ability to attract international talent, establishing themselves as one of the most promising players in the fight against deepfakes and disinformation,” says Massimiliano Magrini, managing partner and co-founder of United Ventures.
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