As bad actors continue to wreak havoc, organizations are turning to artificial intelligence to counter their threats with solutions such as AI-powered digital authenticity.

Focus IP Inc. (dba Tracer) applies AI to enhance trust and transparency in the digital world, according to Rick Farnell (pictured), chief executive officer of Tracer.

“At Tracer, we are trying to establish and maintain digital authenticity for billions of consumers on the digital landscape,” he said. “Our brands that we protect, we constantly search the internet, social media, page search, marketplaces [and] the mobile app space … to find bad actors that are illegitimately using their trademarks, copyrights, brands, images [and] logos, [trying] to do nefarious things to their consumers and customers. It’s a classic case of using AI for good.” 

Farnell spoke with theCUBE’s Rebecca Knight for the Tech Innovation CUBEd Awards 2025 interview series, during an exclusive broadcast on theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio. They discussed how Tracer is accelerating the AI-powered digital authenticity narrative.

Why AI-powered digital authenticity is a game changer

Farnell, who received a CUBEd “AI Luminaries” award, continues to advance the “AI-for-good” movement through AI-powered digital authenticity. AI’s ability to detect anomalies, safeguard sensitive information and prevent cyberattacks and identity fraud makes it a powerful tool in this space, according to Farnell.

“We did some really visionary things at Protegrity and then … taking that use [case] and that … mission to land at a company, so we rebranded Tracer from an 11-year-old company,” he said. “We came out as Tracer in 2022 to really use AI for good and effectively. All of the things that we’ve been learning and putting together since 2010, we’re now putting those to play here at Tracer on behalf of all of our wonderful brands that we protect.”

When it comes to AI education, purpose-driven learning and practical application should take center stage. This approach supports informed decision-making, preparing for the future job market and ethical understanding, according to Farnell. 

“We’ve always taken an approach of being very practical, really putting it in the context of, ‘Let me learn something, but for a very specific purpose,’” he said. “At Tracer, as we’re training new folks out of school and out of university, or people that have been in the industry for 10 years but don’t necessarily have all of the at-scale, at-production AI skills; they just need to be applied for where we’re going. You really do need that expert validation to make sure that the wonderful work that you’re doing with the technology is always delivering the right results.”

Here’s the complete video interview, part of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE Research’s coverage for the Tech Innovation CUBEd Awards 2025 interview series: 

Photo: SiliconANGLE