ZzappMalaria, a Jerusalem-based startup whose mobile app aims to help identify potential sources of malaria, has won a first prize of $3 million in the IBM Watson AI XPRIZE competition. The firm was also selected as the "Most Inspiring Team" in the People's Choice Award. The IBM Watson AI XPRIZE Challenge was launched in 2016 to promote the use of AI to solve the world's most pressing problems. Aifred Health, a Montreal-based digital health company focused on providing support for clinical decisions for mental health, won second place, getting a $1 million prize. Marinus Analytics, a Pittsburg, US-based firm that uses AI to quickly turn big data into actionable intelligence, helps fight human trafficking by saving hours and sometimes days of investigative time to find traffickers and recover victims.

ZzappMalaria's machine learning capabilities continuously improve the system's efficacy from one operation to the next, the startup said in its statement.