Egregious, a pioneering company developing advanced technologies to defend humans from AI misuse, has raised $1 million Pre-Seed in a round led by Fuel Ventures and Oxford Capital. 

The startup aims to protect critical organisations from AI-driven threats like deception, disinformation, and harmful content. They achieve this through a suite of AI-powered solutions, including Social Media Intelligence tools and Narrative Intelligence solutions. These solutions leverage AI for data acquisition, analysis, and engagement to detect and counter malign influence operations.

According to Rupert Small, PhD, CEO and Founder of Egregious, commented:

“AI-powered bots and agents are powerful tools, but they also pose a growing threat.

These AI agents give people superhuman powers to shape narratives, manipulate systems, and undermine trust at scale. At Egregious, we’re building a defence line for humanity.”

Its platform aims to meet the needs of specific industries. These include:

• National Security and Defence: providing private and secure Social Media Intelligence (SOCMINT).
• Finance & Corporate Security: safeguarding enterprises from personnel risk, market manipulation, and AI-driven scams.
• Marketing and Communications: driving AI-powered multi-platform social media marketing strategies.
• Cybersecurity: detecting and mitigating open-source intelligence (OSINT) risks.
• Insurance: Enabling insurers to identify and assess global security threats through AI-driven social media intelligence.

Mark Pearson, Founder of Fuel Ventures, said:

“Egregious represents a bold step forward in the AI space. Rupert and his team have demonstrated exceptional expertise and have an unwavering commitment to addressing some of the most critical challenges facing society today due to evolving technology in the world.“

This funding will accelerate Egregious’ product development and scale its cutting-edge Human AI platform. 

Lead image: Freepik.