With the racial injustice and economic turmoil witnessed in the past few months, it’s safe to say that 2020 is shaping out to be a complex year.
On one end, individuals are demonstrating in an attempt to have their voices heard, and on the other struggling to find financial stability due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
It beckons the question, where is the solution?
Companies across the nation have come out with supporting statements and strategic plans, some attempting to address the economic downturn caused by the pandemic and others acting in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.
However, one tech company is creating a multi-faceted approach to address both. Scopio is the largest library of authentic photos powered by AI. The company was initially founded in response to the growing adoption of protest art — creative works that concern or are produced by activists and social movements.
Through their AI technology Scopio has removed the technical barriers that prevent amateur photographers from uploading their photos onto stock image repositories. In doing so, they’ve enabled artists in LA and beyond to share their protest art with people around the world — while generating additional income from their work.
According to Scopio’s CEO Christina Hawatmeh, it goes much deeper than helping to revive LA’s freelance economy,
“LA has an extremely rich history of social demonstration and civil disobedience. We want to make sure that these movements are being documented and shared by the diverse pool of people driving them — not just a select few photographers with inequitable opportunities. ”
While 2020 has been tough, there is hope that the year will bring fourth more innovative approaches.