Visionary Student Creating AI App to Fight Human Trafficking Wins Local Company’s ‘AI Scholarship’

Pasadena-based people search engine platform Spokeo today announces the winner of the Spokeo Artificial Intelligence (AI) Scholarship, a groundbreaking initiative aimed at supporting and encouraging exceptional students with a passion for exploring the transformative potential of AI. After a rigorous evaluation process, Adrianna Pinzariu (DePaul University Jarvis College of Computing and Digital Media, class of 2025), has been selected as the recipient of the $5,000 scholarship.

The Spokeo AI Scholarship was established to empower undergraduate students across the United States to delve into the profound impact of AI on humanity’s future. The scholarship encourages applicants to explore the ethical, social, and economic implications of AI, while also envisioning practical applications of AI that can drive positive change. Applicants were allowed to use AI to help write their essays, as long as students appended notes identifying the apps used and described their process and prompts.

Faced with a 400% surge in scholarship essays, Spokeo employed an innovative strategy to organize the essays with the help of AI. ChatGPT reviewed essays for their structure, coherence, and spelling. While not factored into the winner selection, it aided in the processing and filtering of submissions. 

Spokeo’s judges actually selected finalists and the winner. Future methods may be considered, but ChatGPT’s use was fitting and insightful for this experiment, given the essay prompt’s nature.

Harrison Tang, CEO and co-founder of Spokeo, stated, “We’d like to congratulate Adrianna on her remarkable achievement and express gratitude to all applicants who shared their visionary ideas for leveraging AI to shape a brighter future. The Spokeo AI scholarship program is designed to cultivate a new generation of thinkers like Adrianna, who are committed to harnessing AI for the betterment of society.”

Written with the help of ChatGPT, Pinzariu’s winning essay, titled “Building AI for a Safer Tomorrow: AI’s Role in Combatting Human Trafficking,” captivated the judges with its inventive approach to addressing a pressing global issue. Her essay demonstrated a profound understanding of AI’s potential, combining cutting-edge machine learning techniques with real-time data to develop solutions that can have a tangible positive impact on society.

“I’m deeply honored to receive the Spokeo AI Scholarship, acknowledging my dedication to leveraging AI to combat human trafficking. Grateful for Spokeo’s scholarship support, I’m eager to advance responsible AI for meaningful progress,” added Adrianna Pinzariu.

Pinzariu’s essay highlighted her leadership through SecureAI, an AI tool she created to aid law enforcement against human trafficking. SecureAI analyzes hotel website data to detect potential trafficking and bolster investigations. Her integration of the Flock campus safety app (another AI tool she created) demonstrates her commitment to using AI for positive change by enhancing data collection and detection capabilities. The Flock app also won the 2023 DePaul Purpose Pitch competition, providing $6,000 in funding for the app.

She also addressed the critical need to mitigate potential downsides and risks associated with AI technology, such as data breaches and misuse. Her essay presented comprehensive strategies and security measures to ensure responsible AI development and data protection.

The company said that her essay exemplifies Spokeo’s dedication to fostering innovation, responsibility, and ethical considerations within the AI landscape.

Her essay may be read here.