Insider Q&A: Trust and safety exec talks about AI and content moderation

Alex Popken was a longtime trust and safety executive at Twitter focusing on content moderation before leaving in 2023. She was the first employee there dedicated to moderating Twitter’s advertising business when she started in 2013.

Now, she’s vice president of trust and safety at WebPurify, a content moderation service provider that works with businesses to help ensure the content people post on their sites follows the rules.

Social media platforms are not the only ones that need policing. Any consumer-facing company — from retailers to dating apps to news sites — needs someone to weed out unwanted content, whether that’s hate speech, harassment or anything illegal. Companies are increasingly using artificial intelligence in their efforts, but Popken notes that humans remain essential to the process.

Popken spoke recently with The Associated Press. The conversation has been edited for clarity and length.