The rise of artificial intelligence has had a profound impact on most, if not all, walks of life. While large language models make it easier than ever to compile large amounts of data into a legible format, and generative AI has recently broken the barrier of the moving image, we’re left to wonder: Is seeing no longer believing?
According to a report by the World Economic Forum, over a quarter of all jobs worldwide are expected to be disrupted by AI over the next five years, resulting in a net loss of 14 million jobs by 2028. With 83 million roles disappearing and only 69 million new ones being created, every industry is in a position where new tools need to be embraced rapidly. “These numbers show that we need a check against AI misuse,” says Benjamin Lambert, CEO of Checkfirst.
“By using AI to validate visual data, we’re addressing a growing mistrust in what we see. With AI’s growth, the authenticity of visual content is increasingly questioned,” Lambert explains. Checkfirst’s technology ensures that every piece of data, every visual verification, is untainted by external manipulation, bolstered by location and time stamping for irrefutable authenticity. As per research done by PlanGrid and FMI Corporation, the construction industry loses about $177 billion annually due to miscommunication and inaccurate data. On-site data verification tools like Checkfirst could significantly reduce these losses.
At a high level, Checkfirst addresses a fundamental need in today’s marketplace: efficient, trustworthy on-site data capture to comply with evolving regulations. Lambert was inspired to create Checkfirst while aiding his wife’s inspection business in London. He experienced firsthand the challenges of verifying on-site inspections and the gaps in reliable data capture and regulated on-site inspections, especially in trade businesses dealing with commodities between Asia and the West. These experiences highlighted the need for a solution that provided accurate and dependable on-site data.
The platform uses advanced technology to enable businesses to capture essential, verified on-site data at scale, ensuring compliance with laws and regulations. With its AI-powered engine, Checkfirst accelerates data capture, processing, and output, offering functionalities like report summarization, auto-scoring, and certificate creation.
“One of the biggest misperceptions in on-site inspection and compliance is that there is a level of honesty that prevails, whereas the reality is that somebody is as good as they want to be until there’s a better option on the table,” Lambert says. “Inspectors aren’t always impartial, and sign-off can be bought. This is not necessarily due to malice, but shortcuts are being taken due to the overwhelming work overload that inspectors face. They are physically unable to keep up with the expected demand.”
To combat this, Checkfirst requires no training or onboarding and is intuitively designed to be seamless to help on-site inspectors work faster and more accurately. Distributing access to data submission is straightforward — anyone with permission can submit data without logging in, either through a secure link or by scanning a QR code. Once submitted, the data becomes hashed, immutable, and tamper-proof.
“Our challenge is to inspire trust through reliable data,” Lambert continues. “Especially in on-site verification, it’s less authentic than it may seem. As AI is going to continue growing, people will trust what they see less and less.” As of 2023, only 26% of consumers expressed no concerns about the authenticity of online content, among other reasons, due to the prevalence of deep fakes, leading to a sizable trust gap between consumers and companies. People are less likely today to simply take information at face value.
Hence, on-site verification plays a big role in online rental marketplaces and property portals. These companies face a unique challenge: they lack physical access to their listings yet require reliable data for them to function effectively. Checkfirst steps in here, providing a means for these companies to access, verify, and utilize essential data, verifying whether, for example, a rental property that claims it’s fully sustainable and accommodating to disabilities is not just using these terms as buzzwords. “Nothing that comes from a Checkfirst check can ever come from a third-party source,” says Lambert. “If somebody takes a shortcut or even just makes a small error in these inspections, somebody will be held accountable for the mess created.”
Beyond marketplaces, on-site verification is a crucial need in the testing, inspection, and certification space, as well as a global supply chain. In an era where only 6% of businesses feel they’ve achieved full supply chain visibility, according to 2022 Zippia research, Checkfirst is an essential help for third-party inspectors.
“The whole world of inspections, including equipment staying up to date, trucks, machinery, construction equipment, all of that needs to be inspected regularly and those inspections must comply with certain laws that vary from country to country, region to region,” Lambert highlights. “No human could keep track of it all. Supply chain issues snowball fairly quickly. Companies get fined for not complying. In many cases regulatory bodies revoke their operating license.”
The issue is already being taken seriously, as, according to a Gartner study released in February 2024, high-performing Supply Chain organizations distinguish themselves from low-performing ones predominantly due to their usage of AI to optimize processes.
As the demand for reliable on-site verification surges, Checkfirst remains steadfast in its mission: to empower businesses with unassailable data integrity, driving trust and transparency in every inspection. “Using AI in an ethical way is our chief concern,” Lambert says. “We want to create a world in which companies use reliable data to do better.”
