Exclusive: iMerit launches platform to connect AI developers with specialized domain experts

iMerit Technology Service, acquired by EXLService Holdings in July, introduced a new platform to connect artificial intelligence developers with specialized domain experts. The iMerit Scholars platform aims to grow to hundreds of thousands of experts, currently boasting over 30,000 vetted professionals across 118 countries. Initially focused on data annotation and AI training services, iMerit now manages a global network of specialists who can evaluate, fine-tune and validate AI models for enterprise applications, especially in regulated industries such as healthcare, banking and insurance.

The platform, built on iMerit's Ango Hub data annotation and model fine-tuning technologies, offers centralized tools for recruiting, onboarding, evaluating, assigning and compensating experts. It supports collaboration on multimodal training data, model evaluation and feedback workflows, and integrates payment processing and compliance through Trolley Technologies Inc. Unlike traditional data labeling services, iMerit emphasizes the importance of human specialists in identifying errors that automated systems might overlook, a process referred to by the company as "tormenting models."

The company's three-tier assessment process includes general AI capabilities screening, domain-specific qualifications evaluation, and peer reviews conducted by other experts. Specialists are compensated for individual engagements but remain part of the Scholars community, benefiting from long-term relationships that allow them to build knowledge about models across successive evaluation and training cycles.

Pricing arrangements include hourly rates, contracts tied to deliverables, and outcome-based engagements. The acquisition by EXL provides iMerit with expanded healthcare and insurance expertise, enabling support for enterprise-specific AI applications. The company is keen on expanding its coverage in specialized disciplines and languages, emphasizing the need to scale into newer languages and levels of expertise.