Amazon and The New York Times (NYT) signed a licensing agreement to bring the newspaper’s content to Amazon’s AI services and products, including Alexa+. With this agreement, Amazon has gained access to news, recipes, and sports content across its AI platforms, including Alexa and machine learning models. The multi-year deal covers the newspaper’s flagship news operation, as well as content from NYT Cooking and The Athletic.

The Agreement Will Bring New York Times Content to Amazon Customer Experiences

The NYT announced that its editorial content would appear on various platforms, including Amazon’s AI assistant and chatbot, Alexa+. The financial details and duration of the agreement have not been disclosed. A statement from The New York Times noted that “the agreement will bring NYT editorial content to various Amazon customer experiences.” The deal covers not only news articles, but also NYT Cooking (the newspaper’s food and recipe platform) and its sports-focused publication, The Athletic.

NYT CEO Meredith Kopit Levien said, “This agreement aligns with our long-held belief in the value of quality journalism. Whether through commercial partnerships or by enforcing our intellectual property rights, it reflects our deliberate approach to ensuring our work is appropriately valued.”

Alexa’s Capabilities Will Be Further Enhanced

As part of Alexa’s AI transformation, Amazon had promised that the new version would be “a smarter, more conversational, and more capable voice assistant.” With the agreement, Alexa’s capabilities will be further enhanced. Accordingly, the deal allows summaries and excerpts to be displayed in real time on Amazon devices and services. In addition, Amazon is permitted to use the content to train its foundational models.

NYT Files Copyright Lawsuits Against AI Platforms

The New York Times is known for filing a lawsuit against OpenAI over copyright infringement. Noted for its strong stance against AI licensing, the NYT filed a copyright lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft in December 2023. It accused both companies of using millions of NYT articles without permission to train AI models. The lawsuit claimed, “OpenAI and Microsoft have built a business worth tens of billions of dollars by using humanity’s work without authorization.”

Nevzat Aydin attended the global e-commerce fair WORLDEF ISTANBUL 2025, which was held at the Istanbul Yenikapi Event Area. As part of the fair, Aydin spoke at a panel titled “What’s Next in E-Commerce? A Frank Talk with a Pioneering Entrepreneur.” The panel, moderated by Celal Toprak, Editor-in-Chief of Türkiye’s İş Dünyası Magazine, addressed e-commerce, entrepreneurship, and artificial intelligence.

Nevzat Aydin: E-commerce will grow significantly

Referring to the developments in the e-commerce ecosystem, Nevzat Aydin said, “According to the most pessimistic scenario, it is estimated that e-commerce will grow threefold in the next 10 years. Although it varies by sector and the players in that sector, e-commerce will grow significantly. With artificial intelligence coming into play, very different applications will enter our lives. In terms of personalization and being able to receive services tailored to you, interesting things await us,” he said.

“A startup without artificial intelligence will have a very hard time growing”

Emphasizing the importance of doing business based on knowledge, Nevzat Aydin stated that he has invested in more than 80 startups and said: “When it comes to startups I will invest in, I first look at the entrepreneur’s profile and character traits. The startup I invest in should be one where I enjoy working together and where I can learn something.”

Aydin said, “A startup without artificial intelligence will have a very hard time growing. Somewhere in the startup, there needs to be technology and scalability. Artificial intelligence does this abundantly. In my time, when I had an idea for a project, there was no information about how it had been done in the world or what had been tried. Now there is an incredible amount of information—you can access information everywhere. But it’s much more important to extract the useful information from all that data. You must research very well and find the right information,” he noted.

“In my time, the opportunity was the internet; now it is artificial intelligence”

Nevzat Aydin said, “We will see in a few years how much artificial intelligence has changed life in many areas. A very different world awaits us. This is an opportunity. In my time, this opportunity was the internet. I also did the right project at the right time. Now, what will develop is artificial intelligence! I think the biggest advantage for young people is that artificial intelligence is advancing by improving them. There is so much that can be done,” he said.

WORLDEF ISTANBUL 2025 has ended!

The global e-commerce fair WORLDEF ISTANBUL 2025 hosted more than 15,000 visitors from all around the world. At the event, which focused on AI, panels comprehensively discussed the transformation of e-commerce through AI. WORLDEF CEO Ömer Nart said, “When we examine the profiles of visitors and brands, we can say that WORLDEF ISTANBUL has now become completely global.” Nart emphasized that they aim to build an e-commerce bridge between Istanbul, Dubai, and Riyadh.

The 12th edition of WORLDEF ISTANBUL, the region’s largest e-commerce fair, was held on May 15-16-17, 2025, at the Istanbul Yenikapı Event Area. The fair brought together global e-commerce brands. At the fair, which offered participating brands opportunities for growth and cooperation in e-commerce, more than 200 speakers shared their experiences in various panels and presentations on three different stages called “Future Commerce Stage,” “Masterclass Stage,” and “Case Study Stage.”

At the massive e-commerce event with around 250 booths, more than 500 retail brands were present. Exhibitor companies that set up booths at the event had the opportunity to showcase their products and services. It was reported that more than 15,000 visitors from over 80 countries attended the fair.

Omar Nart: WORLDEF ISTANBUL has gone global

WORLDEF CEO Omar Nart stated that they brought together many domestic and international companies, entrepreneurs, and sectoral visitors with a focus on e-commerce and artificial intelligence, expressing their satisfaction with the interest shown in the fair.

Omar Nart said, “WORLDEF ISTANBUL 2025 has become an important platform where the latest developments in e-commerce are discussed, new collaborations are formed, and innovative ideas that will shape the sector are debated. At WORLDEF ISTANBUL, which has become a key meeting point in the development of e-commerce in the region, we have now hosted many participants and visitors from different countries. When we examine the profiles of visitors and brands, we can say that WORLDEF ISTANBUL has now become completely global.”

Stating that they received intense interest, Nart said that 35% of the visitors were foreign, and that 40% of the booths belonged to brands from different countries.

“We want to build an e-commerce bridge between Istanbul, Dubai, and Riyadh”

Highlighting that the event, which reflects the pulse of e-commerce, allowed visitors to explore new technologies and business models in the field firsthand, Ömer Nart said, “At the same time, the foundations of many new collaborations were laid through B2B (business-to-business) meetings. The positive feedback we received is the most concrete indicator of the fair’s contribution to e-commerce.”

Pointing out that those who want to engage in e-commerce at the fair could cooperate with brands from every sector ranging from artificial intelligence to logistics, from packaging to software infrastructure, Ömer Nart said, “We want to build an e-commerce bridge between Istanbul, Dubai, and Riyadh. We are paving the way for Turkish e-commerce players to engage in cross-border e-commerce.”

“The largest e-commerce event in Türkiye, Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East”

Omar Nart emphasized that WORLDEF ISTANBUL is the largest e-commerce event in Türkiye, Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East in terms of brand participation and visitor density. Nart said, “My biggest dream was for a brand originating from Türkiye to become a leader in the global e-commerce ecosystem. WORLDEF continues on its path with the vision of being a leader in e-commerce events in Istanbul, Riyadh, and Dubai.”

The transformative impact of AI on e-commerce was thoroughly discussed

At WORLDEF ISTANBUL 2025, the transformative impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on e-commerce was thoroughly discussed. In AI-focused panels, it was highlighted that artificial intelligence applications and systems provide speed, efficiency, and profitability to e-commerce brands in many areas, from marketing to customer service, from reporting to campaign design.

It was also emphasized that they strengthen the competitive advantage of businesses. On the other hand, the fair also provided an opportunity for B2B collaboration meetings. In two different B2B zones set up in the fair area, many companies connected to e-commerce such as marketplaces, logistics companies, and digital payment firms evaluated collaboration opportunities with other firms.

Omar Nart: We have established a strategic e-commerce triangle between Istanbul, Dubai, and Riyadh

Dubai CommerCity (DCC) is ramping up artificial intelligence adoption within its free zone by forging strategic partnerships with AI-focused tech companies qeen.ai and Portmind. The move aims to accelerate the UAE’s digital commerce ecosystem and promote innovation in cross-border trade.

A joint initiative of the Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority (DIEZ) and Wasl Properties, Dubai CommerCity has joined forces with qeen.ai to deliver generative AI solutions tailored for e-commerce businesses. The collaboration was unveiled during Dubai Artificial Intelligence Week, alongside a second agreement with Portmind, whose Sail platform enhances customs and logistics operations with AI automation.

The partnership with qeen.ai seeks to empower SMEs and digital brands by offering smart automation, AI-driven customer experience management, and streamlined digital sales tools. Meanwhile, Portmind’s Sail integration is expected to significantly improve customs efficiency and compliance for DCC tenants.

Strategic Vision for a Smarter Trade Ecosystem

Mitch Bittermann, Senior VP of Commercials at Dubai CommerCity, said the initiatives reflect Dubai’s vision of becoming a global AI and digital economy leader. “By embedding smart and generative AI into our ecosystem, we’re boosting the competitiveness of our businesses and contributing to a thriving, investment-friendly AI economy,” he stated.

qeen.ai Co-Founder Dina Alsamhan added, “This partnership allows us to support the UAE’s next-gen digital commerce infrastructure. While Dubai CommerCity provides vital market access, our AI agents enable SMEs to scale globally by automating and optimizing their operations.”

Reinforcing Dubai as a Global Innovation Hub

DCC’s integration of Portmind’s AI-powered Sail platform aims to provide agile and compliant customs processing, enhancing trade efficiency for all stakeholders. According to Abdulrahman Shaheen, SVP of Operations at DCC, “Our goal is to simplify global trade with intelligent tools that prepare businesses for the future and solidify Dubai’s status as a global innovation center.”

Julien Gurunlian, CEO of Portmind, emphasized, “Our partnership brings seamless AI-driven workflows to international trade, cutting costs, reducing friction, and ensuring compliance across the board.”

E-Commerce Market Set to Hit AED 48.8 Billion

As the UAE’s e-commerce market heads toward a projected AED 48.8 billion valuation by 2028, DCC’s alliances with qeen.ai and Portmind position the free zone at the forefront of this growth. The collaborations align with the UAE’s economic diversification strategy and reflect DCC’s ambition to redefine the future of digital trade through innovation, agility, and smart infrastructure.

Dubai CommerCity: The ideal hub for digital commerce businesses

Yango Tech Retail, part of Yango Tech’s B2B solutions ecosystem and a leading provider of e-commerce technologies, has introduced the AI-powered shelf tracking system called “AInventory” to address the challenges in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) retail market. This system redefines inventory management by creating a digital twin of supermarkets. The new system aims to enhance accuracy with real-time data, optimize demand forecasting, and make operations more efficient.

AInventory Scans Shelves Every 15 Minutes

AInventory combines digital twin technology, shelf tracking, and advanced analytics to improve store management efficiency. By automating routine tasks, the system increases inventory accuracy while reducing manual workloads. It provides real-time data on stock levels, sales, and employee activities. Using advanced AI and computer vision technologies, AInventory scans shelves every 15 minutes. This helps identify stockouts, misplaced products, and pricing errors, ensuring shelf organization and increasing planogram compliance by up to 10%.

The AInventory system continuously tracks product movements during each scanning cycle, providing in-depth insights into customer interactions and purchasing behavior. This helps retailers improve their product placement strategies and enhance store performance. It also increases operational efficiency by 30%, optimizes workflows, detects inconsistencies between physical and recorded stock, and boosts profitability through better inventory management.

“The UAE Retail Market is Expected to Reach $74.87 Billion by 2028”

Andrii Morozov, President of AInventory, said, “The retail sector in the Middle East is growing rapidly. Saudi Arabia’s retail market is expected to reach $159 billion this year, and the UAE’s retail market is projected to reach $74.87 billion by 2028. With this rapid growth, retailers face new challenges in maintaining seamless operations and keeping their shelves stocked. This is where AInventory steps in.”

Morozov shared additional insights about the new system: “From single stores to large retail chains, our AI-powered system makes inventory management more accurate, operations more efficient, and processes smarter. AInventory is not just about numbers; it helps retailers sell smarter, reduce waste, and provide a better shopping experience. For customers, this means fewer empty shelves, more organized stores, and a seamless shopping experience. Our goal is to help MENA retailers set new standards and stand out in the competition.”

Retailers Using AInventory Report Increased Sales

Retailers using AInventory have reported up to a 5% increase in sales due to reduced stockouts and improved shelf organization. The system’s cameras, equipped with energy-saving modes, switch to sleep mode between scans to preserve battery life. Designed for retailers ranging from small markets to large supermarket chains, these AI-powered cameras make advanced technology more accessible, showing that “AI is not just for high-tech companies, but also provides significant advantages for everyday market management.”

About Yango Tech

Yango Tech is a subsidiary of the global technology company Yango Group. It is an ecosystem that provides advanced B2B technology solutions to meet the diverse needs of modern businesses. The company helps businesses streamline operations, enhance customer experiences, and achieve sustainable growth by providing integrated tools in areas such as warehousing, mobility, retail, and more.

Solutions within the ecosystem include:

• Yango Tech Retail: AI technologies for retail
• Yango Tech Autonomy: Last-mile delivery solutions
• Yango Tech Robotics: AI-powered automation solutions for warehouses
• Retail Media: Advertising solutions
• RouteQ: Last-mile delivery management
• Yango Tech Cloud: Cloud platform
• Yango Tech Browser: Corporate browser
• YangoDB: Database solutions

Yango Tech aims to help businesses stay competitive and grow in the digital world by leveraging AI-powered innovations.

Amazon’s New AI Feature: Interests

French-based marketplace solution provider Mirakl offers a SaaS solution that enables B2C and B2B companies to build and scale online marketplaces. In addition to the marketplace solution, the company also provides services to facilitate vendor payments and retail media solutions.

52 Global Businesses Joined Mirakl in 2024

Mirakl has released its 2024 data. The company, which reached profitability by the end of 2023, maintained profitability throughout 2024. Thanks to customer acquisition and cost management, the company added 52 global businesses to its customer portfolio in 2024. Its Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) grew by 30% year-over-year, reaching $11.2 billion. The company’s Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) reached $177 million.

AI Investments Increased by Over 100%

Focusing on artificial intelligence last year, the company launched AI-driven products alongside the AI-powered features it previously offered. One of these AI products was the “Mirakl Catalog Transformer,” an automation that fully automates catalog management processes. The company increased its AI investments by more than 100% year-over-year in 2024. The company plans even larger investments in 2025, with these investments expected to surpass the total amount invested in the past three years.

AI-Powered E-commerce Revolution

When the company was launched in 2012, it pioneered a technology that allowed companies to build and scale their own marketplaces, creating a new category in the e-commerce sector. Today, the company AI-powered solution package helps businesses capture significant e-commerce opportunities:

• Mirakl Platform: Makes marketplace and dropship operations efficient, scalable, and unified.
• Mirakl Payout: Accelerates time-to-market by simplifying vendor payments and KYC processes.
• Mirakl Catalog Platform: Automates supplier catalog integration and enables data enrichment.
• Mir akl Ads: Converts online traffic into revenue, supports campaign creation and management, and enhances customer experience through personalization.
• Mirakl Connect: Offers catalog integration and enrichment, supported by Adspert for advertising investments.

“We Entered 2025 with Momentum”

Mir akl Co-Founder and Co-CEO Adrien Nussenbaum stated that the company had a strong year in 2024 and entered 2025 with momentum, saying, “We are diversifying our e-commerce services and rolling out AI-powered solutions. We haven’t just helped businesses launch marketplaces; we’ve radically redefined how commerce scales in the digital age. Only Mirakl has the expertise and technology to do this at scale. We will continue to stay committed to our mission of creating a fairer and more competitive online economy by taking on digital monopolies.”

2024 Data:

• Doubled its AI investments, achieving 30% growth in GMV and $177 million in annual recurring revenue.
• Marketplace and dropship gross merchandise value (GMV) increased by 30%, reaching $11.2 billion.
• AI investments grew by over 100%.
• Adspert acquisition was completed in December 2024.
• With the launch of Mirakl Connect and the rise of Mirakl Ads, the business model has evolved into an AI-powered multi-solution ecosystem.
• AI investments in 2025 are expected to equal the total amount invested over the past three years.
• Over 80% of employees used generative AI daily in 2024.
• With more than 450 customers, Mirakl Platform generated positive EBITDA for the first time throughout the entire year.
• 52 new global businesses began using Mir akl solutions.
• More than 30 customers exceeded the $100 million GMV threshold.39 companies launched Mirakl-powered marketplace or dropship operations.
• Mir akl Ads, powered by AI-driven retail media solutions, gained 22 new customers in 2024, experiencing more than 100% growth year-over-year.
• A pilot project with Rakuten generated 53% higher revenue compared to competing solutions.

About Mirakl

Mirakl is a leading provider of e-commerce software solutions. A pioneer in the marketplace economy since 2012, the company is preferred by over 450 leading companies worldwide. The company provides businesses with the most secure and scalable technology in the following areas:

• Expanding product ranges with marketplaces and dropship
• Improving efficiency in supplier catalog management and payments
• Creating personalized shopping experiences
• Increasing profitability with retail media

China-based e-commerce giant Alibaba Group has developed the artificial intelligence (AI) model “Qwen,” which has generated over 100,000 derivative models globally, securing the top spot worldwide. The company is increasing its AI investments with the aim of driving transformative changes in the business landscape.

Recently, Alibaba announced plans to invest more than 380 billion yuan ($53 billion) over the next three years to build cloud and AI hardware infrastructure.

A Dominant AI Force in Asia

Alibaba Group is a key player in the artificial intelligence sector within the Asian market. It stands as Asia’s largest cloud service provider and ranks fourth globally. Alibaba Cloud is working to deeply integrate cloud computing and AI technologies to establish one of the world’s most extensive AI-powered cloud computing networks. By leveraging its globally distributed data centers, the company aims to provide developers with unmatched speed and accessibility.

“Artificial Intelligence Investments Will Surpass the Past Decade’s Expenditures”

Alibaba Group CEO Eddie Wu emphasized the company’s strategic focus, stating, “We will concentrate on our domestic and international e-commerce business, cloud computing technologies, and internet platform products. Artificial intelligence is bringing significant transformations to the industry. Our investment in cloud and AI infrastructure over the next three years will exceed what we have spent in the past decade.”

Wu also projected that “90% of future intelligent outputs (tokens) will be created and processed through cloud networks, as only cloud architecture can efficiently handle such vast computational demands. The next three years may be the most intense and expansive period for cloud infrastructure development in Alibaba’s history. If AI becomes as ubiquitous as electricity in the future, cloud computing networks will function as its power grid.”

Furthermore, Wu added, “We see AI as a once-in-a-generation opportunity for industry transformation. Our ultimate goal is to achieve Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), continually pushing the boundaries of model intelligence.”

Major AI-Focused Recruitment Drive

To support its AI advancements, Alibaba has announced hundreds of new job openings, with 90% of these positions dedicated to AI technology and product development. The newly recruited professionals will work on cutting-edge technologies such as text processing, multimodal large models, and AI agents.

What is the Qwen Model?

Qwen is a foundational artificial intelligence model developed by Alibaba Group. It belongs to the category of Large Language Models (LLM) and is designed under the Alibaba Cloud framework.

Key Features and Applications of Qwen

• Comprehensive AI Model: Qwen is a sophisticated AI model with applications in natural language processing (NLP), text generation, translation, coding, and content creation.
• Scalability: The model processes vast amounts of data, delivering highly accurate and intelligent responses.
• Global Leadership: According to Alibaba, Qwen has facilitated the development of over 100,000 derivative models and has achieved the top position globally in AI model rankings.
• Alibaba Cloud Integration: The model is seamlessly integrated into Alibaba’s cloud computing ecosystem, providing a robust AI infrastructure for large-scale enterprises and developers.
• E-Commerce and Business Applications: Alibaba is incorporating Qwen into its e-commerce platform Taobao to enhance customer experiences, optimize purchase decisions, and improve user engagement.

With its ambitious AI strategy and substantial investments, Alibaba aims to redefine the future of artificial intelligence and cloud computing on a global scale.

Vue.ai is a market leader and one of the world’s first full stack AI Orchestration Platforms, designed for enabling large global enterprises to bring about AI Transformation. Mad Street Den, the corporate entity of Vue.ai, was founded with the vision of democratizing AI across teams ranging from product and operations to data, ML and more. Founded in 2016, Mad Street Den (MSD) was one of the first AI companies in the world serving global industry giants like FedEx, Nike, Tata Group, Levi’s, and Dubai Commercity.

These enterprises have adopted the Vue.ai platform for solving complex workflows and problems ranging from automation of retail operations and customer experiences to loan processing, claims, logistics automation and more. The company has raised over 60M in funding over the years and counts marquee investors like Alpha Wave Global (G42), Sequoia Capital India and Avatar Growth Capital.

The Vue.ai orchestration platform

The Vue.ai platform is designed as an AI based operating system for large enterprises allowing them to use its three layers – the data orchestration layer: allowing data engineering, analytics and DSML teams to handle data ingestion, enrichment, analytics and extensive data wrangling; a workflow orchestration layer allowing model building, MLOps, building complex AI native workflows, building AI agents and more; and a native application and marketplace layer with plug-and-play models, apps, agents which allowing enterprises to go live with AI solutions in less than 30 days. With the company pioneering some of the earliest IP in the space of AI, including generative AI, the platform is natively agentic and gen-AI enabled.

CIOs and AI transformation leaders globally work with Vue.ai to unlock the full potential of AI adoption throughout their organization. Fixing silos across departments, bringing together data meaningfully and helping automate and make decisions at a fraction of the cost and time have been the 3 value propositions that drove meaningful AI transformation outcomes for these companies, as trailblazers in the industry.

Vue.ai has been recognized worldwide for its innovation and has a wide range of patents in the space.

Vue.ai in the Middle East and strategic focus for the Region

Vue.ai has been actively operating in the Middle East for over four years with early adopters, underscoring our long-term commitment to the region. During this time, Vue.ai has successfully partnered with several prominent clients across the Middle East, delivering tailored AI solutions that drive innovation and operational excellence.

Given the UAE is set to remain the fastest-growing economy in the GCC region in 24-25 with non-oil sectors continuing to expand, the region continues to be a key focus geography for Vue.ai. With strategic partnerships like Dubai Commercity paving the way to foray into this region, the brand continues to focus on adding value to retail and ecommerce. It is noteworthy that the retail platform, with a host of preset applications, was the first vertically integrated offering via the Vue.ai stack.

The leadership

The founders of Mad Street Den are pioneers in the space of Neuroscience, Neuromorphic Engineering, AI and product design. They come with a rich experience in AI/ML, research and product design with their early work history in Silicon Valley from the early 2000s.

Who is Ashwini Asokan?

Ashwini Asokan is the CEO & Founder of Mad Street Den. Prior to starting Mad Street Den, Ashwini was a product leader working at the intersection of socio-cultural and technological systems at Intel Research Labs. Being first movers in the world of AI, Ashwini and her team have brought meaningful AI transformations for large organizations all over the world, helping not just processes and companies become AI-first but empowering large numbers of people to become AI-first creators. A Fortune 40 under 40 alumni, Forbes 50 Power Women lister, she and her co-founders have led over 1200 people, over the years, in AI careers.