BIGO triumphs at SBR's Technology Excellence Awards with AI-powered CMS

Online safety and trust are ensured by a real-time AI-powered content management system.

Since BIGO started its operations 6 years ago, the company’s growth has been driven by the intention to provide artificial intelligence (AI) products and services that enrich connections amongst people.

BIGO received this year’s Technology Excellence Award in the Internet/New Media category for its proprietary AI online content management system (CMS) that enables automatic review and management of user-generated content.

This technology allows BIGO’s team to segregate inappropriate and illegal text, images, audio, and video based on localised sensitivities within only 60 seconds of detection. This functionality has an accuracy rate of 99% and can automatically review more than 300 million data pockets per day. The CMS can detect 26 languages, and its negative keyword library includes 200,000 words that are considered undesirable for its users.

Upon automatic detection of offensive content, the system not only removes it but also issues a penalty to the offender. The real-time technology reflects BIGO’s objective to create a safe and trustworthy online environment that empowers and entertains people.

Aside from this winning innovation, the company also launched Bigo Live, a live streaming platform where users can share interesting moments, exchange virtual gifts, and demonstrate their talents across borders. As of March 2020, Bigo Live was included in the top five grossing social apps (on Google Play and Apple) in US, Thailand and Indonesia. Bigo Live was also ranked in the top 10 apps in Apptopia/Braze.com’s 2020 global livestreaming report for in-app revenue purchases.

Another product is Likee, a short video creation platform that offers filming and editing tools as well as special effects to inspire creativity. This application is favoured by over 130 million monthly active users, many of whom are Generation Z members.

Rounding up the company’s suite of entertainment platforms is imo, an audio and video communication platform that provides instant messaging services even in a geographically dispersed and low-data-reach environment. This app has become popular with more than 210 million monthly active users worldwide.

BIGO’s products have been appreciated for broadcasting good news. For example, BIGO users collaborated to raise awareness about recent disasters such as the Australian bushfires.

Such achievements have not gone unnoticed. BIGO received a specific request from the Indonesian government for a customised content-monitoring solution tailored to the country’s legislation, reflecting the company’s success in safeguarding users and respecting cultures through effective content detection and integration.

The company also recorded year-on-year increase in the number of monthly active users (MAUs) and the amount of revenue across all products. As of 2019, 62 of BIGO’s technology patents have been approved, and 501 more are awaiting approval.

The company maximises the capabilities of its 30 offices around the world by hiring highly skilled employees, offering internships to young talent, and establishing partnerships with universities.

Despite widespread concerns that AI will reduce the need for manpower, BIGO plans to bolster its team with an additional 500 engineers in the next three years. The company’s expertise in localisation has led to the acceptance of its products by 350 million MAUs in more than 150 countries.

Watch the interview below to know more about their winning project:

The Technology Excellence Awards, presented by Singapore Business Review, was held via video conferencing throughout the first and second week of June.

This year’s nominations were judged by a panel consisting of Daryl Pereira, Head of Cyber at KPMG; Cheang Wai Keat, Head of Advisory Services in Singapore and ASEAN Technology Consulting Leader at Ernst & Young; Chin Chee Choon, Advisory Leader and Assurance Director at Nexia TS; Rizwi Wun, Partner, Acting Head of Intellectual Property and Technology Practice Group at RHTLaw Asia; Carolyn Chin-Parry, Managing Director and Digital Accelerator Leader at PwC.

If you would like to join the 2021 awards and be acclaimed for your company’s exceptional technological innovations, please email Julie Anne Nuñez at [email protected]