Duco, a leader in expert-driven AI safety and security, announced the strategic acquisition of AI data firm Nurdle and the appointment of Nurdle's co-founder and CEO, Jeremy Micley, as its new Chief Executive Officer. This dual move consolidates capabilities to meet escalating enterprise demand for safe, secure, and compliant AI, combining Nurdle's data operations with Duco's global network of thousands of human experts to ensure ethical AI performance across the entire development lifecycle.
Quick Intel
Duco acquires AI data firm Nurdle and appoints its CEO, Jeremy Micley, as the new CEO of Duco.
The consolidation accelerates Duco's ability to deploy human expertise across the full AI lifecycle, from data generation to safety testing.
The strategy emphasizes that human judgment is foundational for accurate, safe, and high-performing AI systems.
Nurdle's capabilities will expand Duco's operational velocity and quality, making expert solutions more accessible.
Duco focuses on mitigating geopolitical, cyber-physical, and trust & safety risks for leading AI companies and Fortune 100 enterprises.
Founder Sidney Olinyk transitions to Executive Chair, remaining engaged in long-term strategy.
This acquisition and leadership transition signal a major strategic leap for Duco. By integrating Nurdle's data operations, Duco is positioned to offer a more comprehensive suite for clients navigating the complex demands of AI deployment. The move addresses a core market need: as synthetic data becomes a powerful development tool, enterprises require the contextual judgment and nuanced understanding that only human experts can provide to ensure systems are secure, unbiased, and effective. "Human expertise is the foundation of accurate, safe, and high-performing AI," stated incoming CEO Jeremy Micley, framing the combined entity's mission.
A key outcome of the acquisition is the expansion of Duco's service model. Previously focused on expert-led insights and evaluation, the company can now deploy its global community of vetted specialists across a broader spectrum of the AI development process. This includes:
Data Generation & Training: Creating high-quality, expert-generated data for model training.
Evaluation & Model Assurance: Rigorously testing AI systems for safety, bias, and performance before launch.
Safety Red-Teaming: Conducting post-deployment testing to identify and mitigate emerging risks.
This end-to-end approach allows Duco to act as a single partner for organizations building advanced AI, ensuring human oversight is embedded at every critical stage.
The integration of Nurdle is designed to make Duco's expert-led solutions more practical and scalable for enterprise clients. Nurdle brings a focus on performance, speed, and quality in data operations. Combined with Duco's established network and security protocols, this will enhance the company's ability to deliver rapid, high-impact results. Founder Sidney Olinyk, who transitions to Executive Chair, noted that the move "positions us to scale our capabilities at the pace clients are demanding," strengthening Duco's role in mobilizing the expert insight and operational support required for secure global AI deployment.
The appointment of Jeremy Micley, with his background in leading AI safety and content moderation at Spectrum Labs, is central to this new phase. His experience scaling data and safety operations aligns with Duco's ambition to meet surging enterprise demand. Olinyk will remain deeply engaged in shaping long-term strategy from the Executive Chair role, ensuring continuity and strategic vision as the company expands its market footprint and service depth.
This consolidation creates a formidable player in the AI safety and security sector. By uniting Nurdle's data capabilities with Duco's expert network and established client relationships, the company is building a unified platform to address the full spectrum of AI risk—from data integrity and model bias to geopolitical and cyber-physical threats. For enterprises under pressure to deploy AI responsibly, Duco is positioning itself as the essential partner that provides the human expertise necessary to build trust, ensure compliance, and achieve ethical performance at scale.
About Duco
Duco connects the world's most influential organizations with the expertise they need to move faster, operate more safely, and make better decisions. Powered by a global network of thousands of vetted specialists and in-country analysts, we deliver rapid, high-quality insights and execution support across policy, trust & safety, intelligence, emerging technology, and operational domains. Duco acts as an extension of client teams—mobilizing custom expert groups, managing delivery, and ensuring secure, confidential, and consistently high-impact results.
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