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Tolga studied industrial engineering, focusing on product development. Elias studied electrical engineering, focusing on new technologies and algorithms.

We met at HELLA Aglaia, a Volkswagen subsidiary that develops computer vision for cars. Our team was working to integrate artificial intelligence into a range of sensors and interfaces used in camera-based driving functions such as brake assist, lane keeping, and multi-touch cameras. Working in the final phase of the development pipeline, we were able to meticulously examine (and admire) all the abilities of artificial intelligence. However, we also became aware of the numerous errors and safety gaps that can arise from a lack of monitoring.

As part of a pilot project, we investigated the benefits of human involvement in cases when the analyses by artificial intelligence were unsuccessful (for example, recognizing an oncoming vehicle or a road sign). The project was eventually terminated by the leaders at HELLA, but we had discovered something great during our time working on it.

Subsequently, Elias left for Taiwan, and Tolga took a job at IAV, another Volkswagen subsidiary. There, Tolga conducted test drives to evaluate front camera sensing. The benefits of human involvement in such processes were unmistakable, so we started discussing the issue again. We talked about how to apply crowdworking to problems in areas such as quality control and healthcare.