OpenAI launches OpenAI Academy as CTO Mira Murati steps down – PEX Community News

Denny’s makes new leadership hires to drive OPEX and innovation, Germany hosts Digital Process Day 2024, Wil van der Aalast Data and Process Science Center opens in Korea

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Michael Hill
09/27/2024

PEX Network’s weekly news bulletin rounds up the latest from the process community including operational excellence (OPEX), digital transformation, business process management (BPM), process mining, artificial intelligence (AI) and much more.

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OpenAI launches OpenAI Academy, CTO steps down

OpenAI, the creator of generative AI platform ChatGPT, announced the launch of the OpenAI Academy, a new initiative that aims to fuel innovation by investing in developers and organizations leveraging AI. It came in the same week as Mira Murati, Open AI’s chief technology officer (CTO), announced she would be stepping down after more than six years at the company.

The OpenAI Academy will ensure that the transformative potential of AI is accessible and beneficial to diverse communities worldwide, starting in low- and middle-income countries, OpenAI stated. “Developers and mission-driven organizations tackle critical challenges in their communities, driving economic opportunity. Having access to cutting-edge technology like AI can help enhance efforts to drive sustainable development,” the firm said.

Many countries have fast-growing technology sectors with talented developers and innovative organizations, but access to advanced training and technical resources remains limited, OpenAI added. “Investing in the development of local AI talent can fuel economic growth and innovation across sectors like healthcare, agriculture, education and finance.”

The OpenAI Academy program will:

Provide expert training and support for developers and mission-driven organizations leveraging AI.
Distribute an initial US$1 million in API credits to expand access to OpenAI models, enabling participants to build and deploy innovative applications.
Foster a global network of developers to collaborate, share knowledge and drive collective innovation.
Partner with philanthropists to invest in organizations solving challenges at the front lines of their communities.

Following the OpenAI Academy launch, Murati announced that she is leaving the firm to “create time and space” for her own exploration. “There’s never an ideal time to step away from a place one cherishes, yet this moment feels right. Our recent releases of speech-to-speech and OpenAI o1 mark the beginning of a new era in interaction and intelligence,” she stated on X (formerly Twitter).

Digital Process Day 2024 held at University of Bayreuth

Digital Process Day 2024 took place at the University of Bayreuth, in Germany, this week. More than 100 participants from the regional economy listened to lectures from science and practice on topics including BPM, process mining and automation. The event offered a unique opportunity to exchange ideas with experts, learn about innovative approaches and jointly develop solutions for the challenges of digital transformation.

“My highlight was the lecture by Rudy Kuhn from Celonis on the topic of [the] autonomous enterprise,” said Maximilian Röglinger, professor of information systems at the University of Bayreuth.

Ekaterina 'Katie' Curry, Millennial Specialty Insurance, and Donald Kuk, formerly of BNY Mellon, discuss using automation and BPM

Denny’s appoints new leaders to drive OPEX and innovation

Restaurant chain Denny’s Inc. announced two new leadership appointments aimed at advancing the company’s OPEX and technological innovation. Minh Le (left) has been named senior vice-president (SVP) and CTO and Christopher Bode (below) will return as president and chief operating officer (COO).

Le will oversee the entire technology ecosystem across both Denny’s and Keke’s Breakfast Café, focusing on modernizing and integrating innovative solutions to enhance guest experiences, improve operational efficiencies and ensure data security and compliance.

Bode (left) will oversee operations, marketing, finance and HR for both corporate and franchise restaurants.

“We are thrilled to welcome Chris and Minh into these critical leadership roles as we continue to drive our business forward,” said Kelli Valade, CEO of Denny’s. “Chris’s deep operational expertise and intimate understanding of our franchise community, coupled with Minh’s visionary approach to elevating our technology infrastructure, will empower us to not only remain competitive but to lead the industry with innovation and excellence.”

Norway’s airports set for major digital transformation

Norway’s state-owned airports are set for a major digital transformation program that will transform check-in and backage drop-off processes. Avinor, which operates most of the civil airports in Norway, announced a new long-term partnership with Amadeus to become fully insight-driven with its data and analytics platform. Central to the partnership is a commitment to co-create the passenger experience of the future with passenger services that can be delivered from anywhere, using any device, rather than fixed service points like check-in desks, according to a press release. Roaming agents will be able to capture passport or biometric data and easily print bag tags or boarding passes from any kiosk throughout the terminal.

What’s more, Avinor aims to transform operations at several small airports serving remote locations that have relatively little traffic during the off season, it said. It envisages managing these smaller sites without the need for costly infrastructure like check-in desks or flight information display units, with Avinor able to operate them remotely using mobile devices like iPads connected to Amadeus’ cloud services. By harnessing AI and machine learning capabilities, it aims to analyze millions of data events from various terminal touchpoints, significantly enhancing decision-making and improving the passenger experience.

“Our airline customers and travelers expect a modern airport experience with minimal queuing and a fast, pleasant and efficient service,” said Simen Bergsrud, head of digital services at Avinor. “Our teams will work hand-in-hand with Amadeus to co-create an outstanding passenger experience that helps to bring the joy back to air travel. Technology is advancing quickly, and we envisage a future with less terminal hardware and a much more flexible approach to serving passengers.”

Wil van der Aalast Data and Process Science Center opens in Korea

The Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), based in Korea, opened the Wil van der Aalst Data and Process Science Center. The center is expected to become a world-leading knowledge hub. Key objectives include effective research in collaboration with global and local partners with the aim of strengthening ties between industry and academia, particularly in sectors such as manufacturing, services and finance. The center also aims to build a global research network by working with distinguished international faculty and institutions.

Will van der Aalst is a leading expert in the fields of process mining, BPM, workflow management systems and data science. He developed the first process mining techniques such as process discovery, conformance checking and predictive algorithms. “It is an odd experience to have a center opened bearing my name,” said van der Aalst. “The goal is to position POSTECH as a leader in data and process science, bridge academic research with real-world applications, enhance international collaboration and create large-scale research projects.”

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Topics: AI Digital Transformation Process Excellence