2023
AI Training, NLP, Data Labeling
I've always enjoyed working with startups on the bleeding edge, and Truleo is exactly that. AI is normalized these days, but in 2023 the modern wave was just taking off, and Truleo was ahead of it: using AI to automatically analyze police body camera footage. I was contacted to help within their data training environment. I can't discuss much of the work due to NDAs, but I'll share what I can.
The majority of the work involved reviewing police body camera footage and audio transcripts. As you can imagine, some of it was graphic and intense content. Once past that, the work was fascinating, and it opened my eyes to what AI could do. The time savings alone were astounding: reviews that might take a police chief 20 hours a week could be done in one.
The hardest part was teaching the model to handle language as it's actually spoken. Footage and transcripts came in Spanish, French, heavy southern accents, broken English, and often a mix of all of the above. Vulgarity was expected and abundant, and people use those words in their own unique ways. Defining them and their usage for the model was a real challenge, and it gave me a lasting appreciation for how much messy human judgment goes into making AI seem smart.
It's been a few years since I worked with Truleo, but I still check their press releases to follow their success. They've grown a lot, and it's a genuinely beneficial product for police departments and for society. Hoping it keeps succeeding and makes the world a safer place.
