The app that could help crack down on the trafficking of art pieces and cultural artefacts

Researchers from Germany's Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft Institute have developed the KIKU application to help authorities identify stolen cultural property more easily. Photo: AFP

It seems to be one of the pandemic's collateral victims. But while the illegal trafficking of cultural artefacts has been flourishing online in recent months, researchers in Germany have been working on a new application to tackle the problem.

The app uses artificial intelligence to help determine whether an artefact has been stolen or fraudulently acquired. Tracing the origins of antiquities can be an arduous task for police forces and customs authorities, who can be misled by fake documentation.