Author: Art Ryan

In a major leap for inclusive and accessible artificial intelligence, Africa’s first multilingual Small Language Model (SLM), InkubaLM, has been reduced in size by an impressive 75%, without compromising performance. This milestone was achieved through the Buzuzu-Mavi Challenge, a global AI competition hosted by Lelapa AI in partnership with Zindi. The challenge invited machine learning experts to compress InkubaLM, which is designed to support African languages, making it more efficient and easier to deploy in low-resource environments. Out of 490 participants from 61 countries, the top winners, all from Africa—demonstrated the continent’s growing strength in AI innovation. Yvan Carré from Cameroon took first place, applying a…

Miro, the Innovation Workspace provider, has announced a new partnership with XPRIZE, an expert in large-scale incentive competitions aiming to solve the biggest challenges facing humanity. As part of the deal, Miro will provide XPRIZE contestant teams and staff with access to its artificial-intelligence (AI)-powered platform Innovation Workspace. It will also grant more than $2 million in Miro credit to support XPRIZE, support up to 2,000 competing teams. XPRIZE’s competitions have helped to drive innovation in areas such as climate change, biodiversity, conservation, health, and sustainability. Miro’s Innovation Workspace provides an intelligent canvas that enables users to quickly progress from idea to…

The skills platform, which has nearly 80 million users worldwide, says the new funding will support growth across enterprise and consumer segments. Udemy has closed a $200 million senior secured revolving credit facility, set to mature in May 2030. The San Francisco-based company, known for its AI-powered skills development platform, said the agreement enhances its financial flexibility as it pursues long-term growth. At the time of the deal’s closing, the line of credit remains undrawn. Udemy has no existing debt and reported more than $350 million in cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities as of March 31, 2025. The new…

Generative artificial intelligence could take years off the time between identifying public health risks and launching impactful mass media campaigns. A University of Queensland study revealed AI-generated vaping awareness ads co-designed with young people, were perceived as equally or more effective than advertisements created by official health agencies. Associate Professor Gary Chung Kai Chan from UQ’s National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research said 600 people aged 16-25 from across Australia took part in the study examining ads aimed at reducing youth vaping. Mass media campaigns have been vital in shifting population health behavior. But developing effective campaigns are time consuming…

Meta Platforms META -0.60%decrease; red down pointing triangle is turning to nuclear power for the massive amounts of electricity it needs to fuel its artificial-intelligence ambitions. The tech giant will buy the power generation of a nuclear plant in Illinois for 20 years under a deal with Constellation Energy CEG -0.13%decrease; red down pointing triangle. Financial arrangements weren’t disclosed, but Constellation Chief Executive Joe Dominguez said the Meta deal would help cover the costs of relicensing, upgrades and maintenance for the Clinton Clean Energy Center in Clinton, Ill. “It’s billions of dollars of capital that you’re signing up for to run a plant for 20 more years,” said…

Windsurf, the popular vibe coding startup that’s reportedly being acquired by OpenAI, says Anthropic significantly reduced its first-party access to its Claude 3.7 Sonnet and Claude 3.5 Sonnet AI models. Windsurf CEO Varun Mohan said in a post on X Tuesday that Anthropic gave Windsurf little notice for this change, and the startup now has to find other third-party compute providers to run several of Anthropic’s most popular AI models on its platform. “We have been very clear to Anthropic that this is not our desire – we wanted to pay them for the full capacity,” said Mohan on X. “We are disappointed…

Last week, Chinese lab DeepSeek released an updated version of its R1 reasoning AI model that performs well on a number of math and coding benchmarks. The company didn’t reveal the source of the data it used to train the model, but some AI researchers speculate that at least a portion came from Google’s Gemini family of AI. Sam Paech, a Melbourne-based developer who creates “emotional intelligence” evaluations for AI, published what he claims is evidence that DeepSeek’s latest model was trained on outputs from Gemini. DeepSeek’s model, called R1-0528, prefers words and expressions similar to those that Google’s Gemini 2.5 Pro…

If you’ve ever been locked out of your work computer, you know the urgent need to reach IT support. Unfortunately, help desk staff are often busy assisting others, which can mean a significant delay before you regain access. Andrei Serban realized the critical importance of IT’s manual work when he was a product lead on Rippling’s apps and integrations team. Serban, who joined Rippling after it acquired his coding security startup Fuzzbuzz in 2023, saw an opportunity to automate many of the help desk’s basic tasks with AI, from resetting passwords, to granting access to apps like Figma and Miro, to routine…

New York City, June 4, 2025 — The highly anticipated Skift Data + AI Summit opens its doors today at 117 West 46th Street in the heart of Manhattan, drawing top minds from across the travel and technology industries. Positioned between 6th and 7th Avenues, the venue buzzes with energy as industry leaders gather to explore how artificial intelligence and data analytics are reshaping the global travel landscape. This one-day event promises a deep dive into the most transformative innovations in travel tech. From generative AI’s growing role in customer experience to predictive analytics enhancing revenue management, attendees will gain…

AI-driven solution streamlines issuance, empowering SMEs and boosting bank efficiency Dubai, May 12, 2025 – : Perfios, a leading global B2B SaaS TechFin, and Mastercard announced a strategic partnership to transform commercial card issuance for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Middle East and Africa Regions. The collaboration will bring together Mastercard’s global payments network with Perfios’ expertise in AI, data analytics, and real-time financial decisioning to create a digital platform that simplifies and accelerates the commercial card enrolment process.Across MEA, access to commercial credit and working capital tools like business cards remains limited for SMEs, despite their critical contribution…

Augustine Diep-Tran, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Boomerang, is set to speak at the Skift Data + AI Summit 2025, where he will offer a compelling look at how AI and process innovation are revolutionizing lost and found operations across the travel and hospitality industries. As COO of Boomerang—the leading lost and found platform—Diep-Tran leads the company’s operational strategy and technology deployment across diverse sectors including aviation, hotels, sports, and entertainment. Under his leadership, Boomerang is transforming what was once a frustrating pain point for travelers into a seamless, customer-centric experience powered by intelligent automation and process excellence. Before…

Nicole Brownell, Chief Operating Officer of Zartico, is confirmed as one of the distinguished speakers at the Skift Data + AI Summit 2025, where she will bring her multidimensional expertise in operations, strategic planning, and destination leadership to the forefront of the conversation on AI and data innovation in travel. As COO, Brownell plays a central role in scaling Zartico’s operations while shaping its strategic vision across behavioral analytics, sustainability, and performance optimization. With a rich background in agency, hospitality, and destination marketing leadership, she is known for transforming data into actionable insights that empower organizations to lead with clarity…

Jay Kinghorn, Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer of Zartico, will be a featured speaker at the Skift Data + AI Summit 2025, where he will share how data science and AI are revolutionizing destination management and marketing in the era of place-based innovation. At Zartico, Kinghorn leads the development of advanced tools and platforms that help destination leaders better understand and optimize their visitor economies. By combining high-quality data science with actionable insights, his work enables communities to align tourism growth with long-term local benefit—supporting smarter decision-making and more sustainable outcomes. Kinghorn has been instrumental in building Zartico’s product suite…

Vivek Bhogaraju, seasoned travel technology executive and industry advisor in data and AI, is confirmed as a featured speaker at the Skift Data + AI Summit 2025, where he will bring deep insights from a career dedicated to innovation at the intersection of travel, analytics, and scalable technology. With a guiding belief in travel as a force for global unity and human connection, Bhogaraju has held leadership roles across every stage of the travel tech business lifecycle—from early-stage startups to global public companies. Most recently, as Chief Operating Officer at Lighthouse (formerly OTA Insight), he led the growth operations team…

Tristen Norman, Director and Head of Creative for the Americas at Getty Images, will take the stage at the Skift Data + AI Summit 2025, bringing her dynamic perspective on the intersection of visual culture, data, and inclusive storytelling in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. As a strategic creative leader, Norman oversees a team of visual researchers and curators dedicated to crafting and influencing compelling content for the advertising and marketing industries. With over a decade of experience spanning marketing, research, creative direction, and brand strategy, she is known for her multidisciplinary approach to decoding how visual language shifts alongside…

Mayank Gandhi, Head of Cloud, Data & AI Platforms at Wayfair, is set to speak at the Skift Data + AI Summit 2025, where he will offer expert insights into building intelligent, scalable platforms that power real-time experiences across digital commerce and beyond. At Wayfair, Gandhi leads the product strategy and management of the company’s cloud-native data and AI platforms, which underpin personalized customer journeys, intelligent supplier experiences, and seamless operational efficiency. His work plays a central role in enabling Wayfair to deliver dynamic, data-driven shopping at scale. Gandhi brings a diverse background that spans startups, tech giants, and entrepreneurial…

Adam Harris, Co-Founder and CEO of Cloudbeds, will be a featured speaker at the Skift Data + AI Summit 2025, where he will share his insights on how technology, data, and people-first leadership are redefining the future of hospitality management. As the head of Cloudbeds—a global hospitality platform powering more reservations and happier guests—Harris has built one of the industry’s most innovative and impactful SaaS companies. Under his leadership, Cloudbeds has grown into a fully remote organization with over 700 employees across more than 40 countries, serving tens of thousands of lodging properties around the world and generating billions in…

Max Niederhofer, General Partner at Heartcore Capital, will be among the featured speakers at the Skift Data + AI Summit 2025, bringing a powerful investor’s lens to the conversation around data, artificial intelligence, and the future of travel. A seasoned venture capitalist with over fifteen years of experience, Niederhofer has played a pivotal role in shaping the trajectory of the travel tech sector. His early-stage investments include some of the industry’s most recognizable names, such as GetYourGuide, TravelPerk, Fora Travel, Roadsurfer, Byway Travel, and Onefinestay—a portfolio that now generates over $8 billion in annual bookings. At Heartcore Capital, a leading…

Gilad Berenstein, Founder of Brook Bay Capital and a leading voice in AI-driven travel innovation, will take the stage at the Skift Data + AI Summit 2025 as one of the event’s featured speakers. With a deep-rooted passion for travel, personalization, and emerging technologies, Berenstein brings a powerful blend of entrepreneurial expertise, venture capital insight, and strategic leadership to the conversation. At Brook Bay Capital, Berenstein leads an AI-focused investment fund and actively supports the growth of both traditional and startup businesses across the experiential economy. He currently serves on the boards of industry disruptors such as Virtuoso, Selfbook, Thatch,…

Cara Whitehill, Vice President at Thayer Investment Partners, will be among the standout speakers at the Skift Data + AI Summit 2025, where she will offer a venture-backed perspective on how emerging technologies and data innovation are fueling the next wave of disruption in travel and hospitality. With deep operational roots and a broad view across the travel tech landscape, Whitehill leads partnership and business development efforts at Thayer, one of the industry’s premier venture capital firms focused on travel technology. Her work connects strategic investors, portfolio companies, and cutting-edge startups, enabling collaboration and scale across the ecosystem. An influential…