Startup Paves Easier Path to A.I.

Implementing artificial intelligence systems can be technically challenging and expensive, but it doesn’t have to be.

So says DimensionalMechanics, a startup based in Bellevue, Wash., that claims to have a developed a platform that can put A.I. within reach of a wide range of companies, with an initial  focus on those in the media and entertainment industry.

The goal is to lower that technology and economic bar in a way that makes A.I. “more accessible to organizations” without requiring them to have a technical background in areas such as deep learning and machine learning, company CEO and co-founder Rajeev Dutt, said, noting that many are also looking for A.I. solutions that are not just affordable but customizable as well.

To help achieve some of those goals, DimensionalMechanics has introduced NeoPulse AI Studio, a set of applications based on the company’s underlying framework that, it says, can help businesses and other organizations rapidly create and design customized A.I. solutions. That product complements the company’s pre-built AI models in areas such as image and video analysis and recommendations systems.

The company, which has raised $6.7 million and intends to raise a “B” round this fall, is also getting a boost into the media and entertainment world through a strategic alliance with GrayMeta, a company that specializes in automated metadata collection, curation and search.

GrayMeta, which counts ABC, AMC, CBS, Deluxe, DirecTV, Disney, HBO, NBCUniversal and Showtime among its clients, is also the first to offer NeoPulse AI to the media and entertainment sector, DimensionalMechanics said.

Dutt said the media, entertainment and advertising industries are among the biggest producers and consumers of data, providing a “proving ground for a lot of machine learning technologies.”

Some use-case examples include a photo-ranking system that was “trained” using 2 million images to determine which ones might make an ad or news article more likely to grab attention or drive and maximize traffic. The technology is also being used to help editors analyze and write headlines that can improve click rates.

On the video side, the company also provides A.I. solutions to drive recommendations.

“There’s a fairly broad range of applications,” Dutt said.

DimensionalMechanics has carved out a set of business models, including cloud software for independent developers, on-premises solutions that can simulate the cloud-based system while keeping a company’s data close to the vest, as well as a way for partners to resell and monetize their A.I. models through the NeoPulse AI Store.

Founded in 2015, DimensionalMechanics currently has 11 employees.