Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Chinese data mining firm, now a national AI champion, started out by helping police solve crimes

MiningLamp’s business analytics tools are used by more than 200 companies in the Fortune 500. Like Palantir, this Chinese start-up uses AI to help corporate clients and law enforcement convert huge volumes of data into actionable information
When the Chinese government named a new batch of national champions in artificial intelligence (AI) in August, one name was relatively unknown to most of the population.

MiningLamp, a Beijing based big data company, joined home-grown tech giants Huawei Technologies, JD.com and Xiaomi Corp as companies tasked with spearheading innovation efforts in the field.

Although not as well known as US equivalent Palantir Technologies, which reportedly contributed to America’s success in hunting down Osama bin Laden, MiningLamp’s data mining software is used to spot crime patterns, track drug dealers and prevent human trafficking.

“Cases are being resolved on our platforms every day” in more than 60 cities and regions in China, said founder and CEO Wu Minghui. “We can run fast analysis on potential drug dealers or major suspects, improving the overall case-solving efficiency several hundred times.”

MiningLamp’s software enables users to search huge volumes of heterogeneous data – information with a great variety of types and formats – and process that into actionable knowledge and insight using a combination of proprietary and commercially available data management tools.

For example, police in far flung cities may use different suspect descriptions and methods of recording evidence for theft cases. Using data mining, connections can quickly be found among the disparate data instead of having to manually cross check dozens of case files.

Dressed in a white business shirt and sporting a fresh crew cut, Wu recounted to the Post how the decision to go into public security five years ago came from a childhood “pain point”.

While growing up in the seaside city of Yantai in China’s northeast Shandong province, Wu’s father worked as a policeman, dealing with grass-roots level community problems such as noise complaints, local disturbances and even quarrels among families.

“Growing up, I hardly saw my dad,” said Wu, in a quiet moment of contemplation. “Police are under a lot of pressure in China where the population per officer is about three times the world average.”

When pitching the software to early clients, Wu would even point out its advantages in helping small-town police officers spend more time with their children.

In training machines to think like humans, Wu’s engineers rely on the knowledge graph, a concept used by Google to enhance its search engine results with information gathered from a variety of sources.

“The human learning process also requires us to weave a network or database of knowledge and build connections through logical reasoning and associative thinking. Such an ability is often a determinant of one’s intelligence level,” he said.

The ability to find connections and generate new insights does not only apply to public security. MiningLamp’s business analytics tools are used by more than 200 companies in the Fortune 500, ranging from P&G and Coca Cola to LV and China UnionPay.

Smaller clients include Shanghai Metro Group which uses the software to conduct automated subway overhauls and maintenance, and the producers of popular Chinese debate show Let’s Talk, who use it to gain insight into the social media habits of their audience.

Founded in 2014, MiningLamp was spun off from Miaozhen Systems, an advertising analysis start-up Wu formed with classmates while pursuing postgraduate studies in computer science at Peking University in 2006, where he also received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics.

The company initially gained success by offering online ad performance evaluations and fraud detection services for advertisers, before expanding the business to industries such as public security, smart cities, finance, logistics, entertainment, retail and manufacturing.

MiningLamp, backed by investors including Tencent, China Renaissance and Sequoia Capital China, has now broken even with annual revenues of several hundred million US dollars, according to Wu.

Comparisons with Palantir do not bother Wu, as he notes the two companies have a similar trajectory, especially in their focus on fraud detection in their early days.

“While Palantir was spun off from Paypal’s anti-fraud team, we started helping e-commerce platforms crack down on fraud in online advertisements before we expanded into public security,” he said. “One of our shared values [with Palantir] is being customer centric. We have several hundred engineers working on-site with clients, while many more are on standby for any incoming requests.”

Wu is not shy when it comes what he describes as his world leading team in data processing and analysis. “China is home to the most e-commerce transactions and largest number of online advertisements, which have pushed companies like us to take the technological lead,” he said. “Any leading-edge technology is meaningless unless it is proven in real life scenarios.”
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
EU Proposes Phasing Out Russian Oil and Gas by End of 2027 to End Energy Dependence
More Than 150,000 Followers for a Fictional Character: The New Influencers Are AI Creations
EU Prepares for War
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Druzhba Pipeline Incident Sparks Geopolitical Tensions
Cost of Opposition Leader Péter Magyar's Economic Plan Revealed
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Budapest Central European Fashion Week Kicks Off
U.S. Celebrates Labor Day
Hungarian National Team Captain Scores Epic Goal
×