AI & Data · Week of Oct 26, 2026
Affle's Perion deal and open-source OCR: the week in AI & Data
An ad-tech acquisition, open-source OCR models, an AR travel app and index changes headlined a mixed week of AI and data releases.
The largest item of the week was a deal: Affle says its subsidiary has agreed to acquire Perion Network Limited in an all-cash transaction with an implied equity value of ~US$ 420 million, expected to close in early 2027. Market-structure news also featured, with S&P Dow Jones Indices moving Okta into the S&P 500 and Palo Alto Networks urging stockholders to reject a mini-tender offer from Tutanota LLC.
On the product and research side, there was no single common thread. ModelBest and OpenBMB open-sourced the MiniCPM-OCR series for document parsing and OCR quality checks, TANGLE Inc. set a November 1 launch for its Naviu AR travel app for Japan, KRAFTON described research into socially intelligent robots, and Gooru AI demonstrated its Digital Gooru platform in Dallas.
Affle
Affle to acquire Perion, to scale its CPCU business across Developed markets
Affle 3i Limited says its subsidiary Affle 3iL Ltd. signed a definitive agreement to acquire Perion Network Limited for US$ 11.70 per share in cash, an implied equity value of ~US$ 420 million, funded by committed bank financing with CitiBank and available cash. The deal, which includes a go-shop period for Perion, is expected to close in early 2027 subject to regulatory and Perion shareholder approval.
TANGLE Inc.
A new way to explore Japan with AI: Naviu AR Travel Companion for Japan Launches November 1 2026
TANGLE Inc. says its Naviu AI-powered AR travel companion app for Japan launches on iOS and Android on November 1, 2026, with an AI guide in 29 languages, AR navigation and photo recognition. The company says patent-pending geospatial technology places AR content across entire cities without a visual positioning system, and brands, cities and creators can place content through its spatial content network.
ModelBest
ModelBest and OpenBMB Open-Source MiniCPM-OCR Series, Delivering High-Performance Document Parsing and AI-Powered Quality Control
ModelBest and OpenBMB released MiniCPM-OCR 1.0 (1.3B), a document parsing model, and MiniCPM-OCR Jev (2B), which assigns confidence scores to OCR output, as open-source models on GitHub, Hugging Face and ModelScope. The companies say the models support vLLM, SGLang, llama.cpp and Ollama, with Day-0 hardware adaptation for AMD, Arm, Houmo AI, Intel and NVIDIA, and Jev can be added to existing OCR workflows without replacing the OCR engine.
Palo Alto Networks, Inc.
Palo Alto Networks Recommends Stockholders Reject Mini-Tender Offer by Tutanota LLC
Palo Alto Networks says it received notice of an unsolicited mini-tender offer from Tutanota LLC to purchase up to 250,000 shares of its stock. The company recommends that stockholders reject the offer.
S&P Dow Jones Indices
Okta Set to Join S&P 500; Others to Join S&P MidCap 400 and S&P SmallCap 600
S&P Dow Jones Indices says S&P MidCap 400 constituent Okta Inc. will replace Kenvue Inc. in the S&P 500, along with other changes to the S&P MidCap 400 and S&P SmallCap 600. The changes take effect prior to the opening of trading on Wednesday, November 4.
Arrive AI Inc.
Arrive AI to Report Q3 2026 Results and Host Webcast on November 13
Arrive AI Inc. says it will report Q3 2026 results and host a webcast on November 13. The live event will review the quarter's results and recent business developments.
KRAFTON, Inc.
KRAFTON DEVELOPS SOCIALLY INTELLIGENT AI THAT HELPS ROBOTS BETTER UNDERSTAND PEOPLE
KRAFTON, Inc., the company behind PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS, says it is advancing research into socially intelligent robots that can interpret human intent, respond to feedback and adapt to changing environments. The announcement was made from Palo Alto, Calif., on Oct. 30, 2026.
Gooru AI
Dallas-Based Gooru AI Showcases How Digital Goorus Extend Human Expertise at Scale
Gooru AI, a Dallas-based artificial intelligence company, says it demonstrated how its Digital Gooru platform can extend human expertise at scale. At a Dallas event, educators and business leaders explored how AI can expand access to personalized guidance, mentorship and knowledge.
This roundup is written with AI assistance from the press releases listed above, using only what they state. The releases are the companies' own announcements, not The Amazing Web reporting.