Duco has acquired the brand and intellectual property of AI data firm Nurdle and appointed Nurdle co-founder and CEO Jeremy Micley as Duco’s chief executive officer, as the company moves to broaden its “expert-in-the-loop” approach to AI safety and security for enterprise deployments.
The deal is intended to pair Nurdle’s capabilities in synthetic data generation and data labeling with Duco’s global network of vetted human experts. Duco said the combined approach is designed to help organizations address growing requirements around safe, secure, and compliant AI systems, including risk management across the full AI lifecycle, from training data development through post-deployment testing.
Duco positions its core offering around mobilizing specialist expertise across languages and complex subject areas such as geopolitical risk, trust and safety, and intelligence. The company said the Nurdle acquisition will strengthen its ability to support customers with broader lifecycle engagement, including data generation, model training support, evaluation, assurance activities, and safety red-teaming tied to product launches.
The leadership change also formalizes a transition at Duco. Founder Sidney Olinyk is moving from CEO to executive chair, a shift the company described as planned, while remaining involved in long-term strategy and working closely with Duco’s board and leadership team. With Micley stepping into the CEO role, Duco said it aims to scale operations and expand service delivery as demand rises for responsible AI deployment practices.
Duco also said it expects to benefit from Nurdle’s emphasis on speed, quality, and performance in order to make expert-driven safety and security programs more operationally accessible for companies building and deploying advanced AI products.
KEY QUOTES:
“Human expertise is the foundation of accurate, safe, and high-performing AI. Synthetic data can serve as a powerful AI development tool, but experts set the standard. Their judgment, context, and depth are what ensure AI systems operate securely and responsibly. I’m thrilled to help Duco scale that mission.”
Jeremy Micley, Incoming CEO, Duco
“Duco will always stay ahead of what organizations need to deploy AI safely and responsibly. Jeremy’s background at Spectrum Labs, combined with the acquisition of Nurdle, positions us to scale our capabilities at the pace clients are demanding. This next chapter strengthens our ability to mobilize the expert insight, evaluation rigor, and operational support required for secure global AI deployment.”
Sidney Olinyk, Founder and Executive Chair, Duco
