Blackbird.AI is an AI-driven Narrative & Risk Intelligence platform that empowers trust, safety, and integrity across the global information ecosystem. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Blackbird.AI CEO and co-founder Wasim Khaled to learn more.
Wasim Khaled’s Background
Khaled is a computer scientist by trade. He has studied information operations, computational propaganda, behavioral science, AI, and the applications of these combined disciplines to defense, cyber and risk intelligence. Khaled said:
“As a member of the Weber Shandwick Collective and the U.S. Department of State’s GEC Disinfo Cloud, he is a frequent advisor to Fortune 500 companies and public sector organizations on the threats and mitigation of the escalating information warfare arms race.”
Formation Of Blackbird.AI
How did the idea for Blackbird.AI come together? Khaled shared:
“In 2017, Blackbird.AI was born primarily out of a desire to use technology to do good. The ease with which even the most highly educated individuals were buying into conspiracies and fabrications online was alarming, and my co-founder and I recognized how daunting and dangerous a threat modern disinformation had become. Tech giants and social media platforms lacked the ability or tools to address those growing threats. At the same time, society was becoming increasingly reliant on those platforms as a trusted source of news and information. Understanding this juxtaposition was endangering both brand reputation and national security, Blackbird was created to foster trust, safety and integrity across the information ecosystem.”
Core Products
What are Blackbird.AI’s core products and features? Khaled explained:
“Blackbird’s proprietary technology detects and mitigates emerging threats and info-cyberattacks while equipping organizations with the tools to identify influence operations and deploy the appropriate countermeasures.”
“Blackbird’s primary offering is its Constellation Platform, which provides narrative risk comprehension at unprecedented speed and scale. By examining narratives, networks, cohorts, influence and unusual propagation patterns, Constellation provides a multifaceted view of potential threats. Users can combine these signals to tailor risk profiles to specific scenarios.”
“Blackbird enables leaders to counter misinformation and preempt backlash, positioning them as informed and proactive. By identifying potential threats across a variety of risk types, it provides an essential layer of protection for the modern organization.”
Challenges Faced
What are some of the challenges you face in building the company and has the current macroeconomic climate affected the company? Khaled acknowledged
“Many startups have found themselves navigating myriad challenges in today’s macroeconomic climate, especially those reliant on the perpetual influx of capital and ever-expanding markets. But because Blackbird operates in the crucial area of disinformation detection and mitigation, we’ve noticed the demand for our offerings has only increased.”
“As global conditions become more volatile, our technology has transformed from a luxury to an essential safeguard.”
Customer Success Stories
Upon asking about specific customer success stories, Khaled commented:
“To date, Blackbird’s growth has been mostly organic. We have deployed mission critical technology with government organizations helping with the analysis of the information space on the ongoing Russian -Ukraine war, as well as partnering with communications firms like Weber Shandwick, where the platform is a critical tool in the company’s crisis services.”
Evolution Of Blackbird.AI’s Technology
How has Blackbird.AI’s technology evolved since launching? Khaled noted:
“Since we raised our Series A, we’ve launched several new features, including: 1.) RAV3N Co-Pilot expansion – Rapid generation of easily understandable insights through generative AI, accelerating reporting for intelligence professionals and saving time in critical scenarios; 2.) Automated identification of emerging narratives from millions of discussions; 3.) A heatmap visualization of narrative flow within information networks, highlighting their relative risk to an organization; 4.) Identification and flagging of synthetic amplification tactics, including bot-like accounts and bot farms; 5.) Detection and alert of toxicity and hate speech within narratives.”
Differentiation From The Competition
What differentiates Blackbird.AI from its competition? Khaled pointed out:
“What sets Blackbird apart from competitors is primarily the extensive, multifaceted analysis we are able to provide our customers. Our platform enables leaders to effectively combat misinformation and neutralize harmful narratives because of its comprehensive, 360-degree view of threat intelligence with the highest fidelity and scale on the market today.”
“Beyond our core offering, Blackbird provides an invaluable tool to fuel business growth through not only by reducing corporate risks, but also by measuring the effectiveness of different communications strategies both on their own and in comparison to competitors.”
Total Addressable Market
What total addressable market (TAM) size is Blackbird.AI pursuing? Khaled assessed:
“A 2019 estimate put the cost of disinformation at $78 billion per year globally, with publicly traded companies losing approximately $39 billion annually due to disinformation-related stock market losses.”
Future Company Goals
What are some of Blackbird.AI’s future company goals? Khaled concluded:
“Our primary focus in the immediate future is to expand sales and marketing initiatives to reach a wider customer base. We also plan to use the fresh funds to enhance the Constellation Platform and the newly introduced RAV3N Co-Pilot, as well as support the growth of the Blackbird Global Alliance Program, strengthening our ecosystem.”
