Tag: Data

  • EXL Acquires iMerit to Bolster Enterprise AI with Foundation Model Capabilities

    EXL Acquires iMerit to Bolster Enterprise AI with Foundation Model Capabilities

    EXL (NASDAQ: EXLS), a global data and AI company, has announced a definitive agreement to acquire iMerit, a leader in AI model training, evaluation, and reinforcement learning. The deal, valued at up to $310 million, is expected to close in the third quarter of 2026, subject to customary conditions.

    The acquisition positions EXL at the forefront of enterprise AI innovation by adding iMerit’s direct relationships with foundation model builders. iMerit specializes in helping clients train large language and multimodal models to improve accuracy, precision, and effectiveness. By integrating iMerit’s capabilities with its own AI platforms—including EXLerate.ai, EXLdata.ai, and EXLdecision.ai—EXL aims to create a comprehensive end-to-end AI solution that moves enterprises from experimentation to production-scale deployment.

    “As organizations reimagine their businesses with AI, success requires industry-specific data, rigorous evaluation and reinforcement learning to deliver reliable results in business-critical workflows,” said Rohit Kapoor, chairman and CEO of EXL. “The acquisition of iMerit strengthens EXL’s AI strategy and ability to help clients move from experimentation to production. By combining iMerit’s capabilities with EXL’s domain expertise and AI platforms, we are setting the standard for AI that is trusted, accountable and built to perform in the enterprise.”

    iMerit brings two key assets to EXL: the Ango platform and the Scholars network. Ango enables sophisticated data interactions with generative AI models, supporting chain-of-thought reasoning, red teaming, and multimodal evaluations. Scholars expands EXL’s domain expertise through a global network of specialists—including physicians, scientists, engineers, linguists, and other subject matter experts—who provide human intelligence-driven feedback for reinforcement learning.

    These offerings will be integrated with EXL’s agentic platforms to combine expert human judgment, model evaluation, and enterprise-scale execution. The acquisition also expands EXL into high-growth AI sectors such as high tech, mobility, autonomous systems, and physical AI, leveraging iMerit’s expertise across text, image, video, voice, and LiDAR data.

    “We see EXL as an ideal leader in this defining moment for AI. We can build on our work with AI innovators and bring those insights to companies seeking to unlock their proprietary data,” said Radha Ramaswami Basu, CEO and founder of iMerit. “Both companies share a belief that specialized high-quality data is the foundation of AI success. We are excited to multiply our impact through EXL’s industry expertise, complementary technology and trusted enterprise relationships.”

    The transaction includes upfront consideration of $170 million, with an additional $140 million in incentives and earnouts over two years contingent on meeting specified milestones. The acquisition is expected to close in the third quarter of 2026, subject to regulatory approvals.

  • Jotform AI Transforms Data Collection with Conversational Form Building

    Jotform AI Transforms Data Collection with Conversational Form Building

    Jotform has launched a new conversational AI tool that lets users create, edit, and deploy forms simply by describing what they need — either by typing or speaking. The tool, called Jotform AI, is designed to eliminate manual configuration and speed up form creation.

    Users can go from an idea to a live form in seconds. By describing the desired form through a persistent chat interface in the Jotform Workspace, the AI assistant named Podo generates a fully structured form complete with fields, conditional logic, and design styling. The assistant can also handle editing tasks like renaming fields or adding multi-step conditional logic.

    A companion feature, the Form Copilot, works inside the Form Builder itself. Instead of manually adjusting settings, users can ask the Copilot to reorder questions, add conditional fields, generate scoring calculations, or create notification and autoresponder email workflows.

    Jotform AI includes several exclusive capabilities not commonly found in other form-building tools: AI-generated calculations for scoring, totals, and field calculations; AI-driven notification email generation; AI-generated test submissions; and an AI assistant that answers product questions with guidance across a broader feature set.

    Users can upload spreadsheets or documents and have Jotform AI automatically convert the content into a structured form. Uncommon branding tools allow teams to match form styling to an existing website or brand kit by simply supplying a URL or image file.

    Aytekin Tank, Founder and CEO at Jotform, said: “Jotform AI represents the next stage of our evolution, inspiring people to create any form experience they can imagine, however they like. Jotform has shifted from a traditional form and productivity tool to an intelligent data management platform that executes at the request of a prompt.”

    The practical applications cover industry, team, device, and use types. Adaptive forms with conditional logic can dynamically adjust based on user responses without manual rule configuration. High-volume form testing allows teams to simulate realistic submissions and validate logic before distribution. On-brand styling updates colors, fonts, and backgrounds conversationally. Integrated workflows streamline data to storage, CRM, or management solutions. Mobile-ready creation lets users build forms on the go by talking to the AI or uploading pictures.

    Jotform AI combines end-to-end conversational creation with advanced automation inside an enterprise-ready ecosystem, setting a new bar for form builders.