How AI Is Powering the Fight Against the $900B Counterfeits Industry

Criminals have it rough these days. Modern technology has made it impossible to get away with anything, from shoplift-deterrent sensors to ever-cheaper security cameras to social media footprints chipping away at anonymity. Now even the global $900 billion shadow economy behind counterfeiting luxury goods is in danger: AI startup Entrupy is the first company to try curbing the trafficking of counterfeits (and restore trust to resale markets in the process) using artificial intelligence. Vidyuth Srinivasan, CEO and cofounder of Entrupy, spoke with me about this fascinating industry, how a cross-country motorbike ride proves the importance of stopping counterfeits, and the biggest challenge they've overcome so far. When I started Entrupy alongside my cofounders Ashlesh Sharma and Lakshmi Subramanian, we set ourselves a goal of building a scalable and versatile technology solution to combat the second oldest problem of humanity, counterfeit goods.