This Month's Latest Tech News in Jacksonville, FL - Sunday August 31st 2025 Edition

Weekly commentary: Jacksonville's tech scene balances growth, risk and education - Duos Edge AI, the Jacksonville-based arm of Duos Technologies, is sprinting to meet demand for low-latency infrastructure, targeting 15 Edge Data Centers (EDCs) under contract by the end of 2025 while backing deployments with strategic partners and fresh capital; coverage of the company's $40M raise and national roll‑out highlights modular 55ft × 13ft EDC pods that can deliver 100kW+ per rack and bring compute within ~12 miles of users to support schools, telemedicine and AI workloads (Duos Edge AI confirms EDC deployment goal - press release and DatacenterDynamics coverage of Duos Technologies $40M raise).

That momentum creates real opportunity for Jacksonville-area talent - but only if skills and guardrails keep pace; bootcamps like Nucamp AI Essentials for Work bootcamp and Nucamp Cybersecurity Fundamentals bootcamp can help local workers move from classroom to edge‑ready roles as deployments expand.

Bootcamp	Length	Early bird cost	Register
AI Essentials for Work	15 Weeks	$3,582	Register for Nucamp AI Essentials for Work bootcamp
Solo AI Tech Entrepreneur	30 Weeks	$4,776	Register for Nucamp Solo AI Tech Entrepreneur bootcamp
Cybersecurity Fundamentals	15 Weeks	$2,124	Register for Nucamp Cybersecurity Fundamentals bootcamp

“Through our partnership with Accu‑Tech, we are executing with speed, precision, and reliability,” said Doug Recker, President and Founder of Duos Edge AI.

Duos Edge AI confirms EDC deployment goal and funding boost - Jacksonville's Duos subsidiary says it's on track to have 15 Edge Data Centers (EDCs) under contract by the end of 2025, with at least nine placements commercially identified and Accu‑Tech handling U.S. manufacturing and distribution to accelerate timelines and shield deployments from global supply‑chain pressures; the modular sites are billed as SOC 2 Type II compliant with N+1 architecture, dual backup generators, 90‑day build windows and 100 kW+ per cabinet capacity, positioned “within 12 miles” of end users to reduce latency for education, telemedicine and AI workloads (Duos Edge AI press release on EDC deployment: Duos Edge AI press release on 2025 EDC deployment goals), and industry coverage notes a recent financing push to accelerate the roll‑out (Data Center Dynamics report on Duos Edge AI $40M financing: DCD report on Duos Edge AI $40M raise and rollout plans).

Metric	Detail
Target	15 EDCs under contract by end of 2025
Identified placements	At least 9 (finalizing real estate/contracts)
Deployment	90 days (rapid modular build)
Capacity	100 kW+ per cabinet
Compliance	SOC 2 Type II; N+1 architecture; dual backup generators
Focus regions	Texas, the Midwest, and the Southeast (underserved communities)

“Through our partnership with Accu‑Tech, we are executing with speed, precision, and reliability.”

Duos Technologies Q4 & FY2024 results and 2025 outlook - FY2024 was a modest baseline (StockAnalysis reports revenue of $7.28M with a net loss of about $10.76M), but the story shifts fast into 2025: aggressive asset‑management wins and early Edge Data Center commercialization drove Q2 2025 revenue to $5.74M (a 280% YoY jump) and H1 2025 to $10.69M, putting the company on a runway to meet consolidated revenue guidance of $28–30M and target adjusted‑EBITDA profitability by Q4 2025; the investor relations hub has the full FY2024 filings and Q2 materials for readers digging into the numbers, while earnings‑call coverage lays out the asset‑management lift, cash raises, and the plan to deploy 15 EDCs in 2025 that underpin the outlook - picture a company going from a single‑digit million revenue base to a scaled edge‑compute play in months, with the balance sheet and operational cadence now in focus (Duos Technologies investor financials and filings, Duos Technologies earnings call highlights and 2025 guidance, Duos Technologies FY2024 company overview on StockAnalysis).

Metric	Value
FY2024 Revenue	$7.28M
FY2024 Net Loss	-$10.76M
Q2 2025 Revenue	$5.74M (280% YoY)
H1 2025 Revenue	$10.69M (314% YoY)
2025 Guidance	$28M–$30M; profitability targeted by Q4 2025

CapVox AI launches voice automation platform in Jacksonville - the company rolled out human‑like, 24/7 AI voice agents aimed at call‑heavy sectors (legal, HVAC, solar, insurance, healthcare and BPOs) that can handle inbound and outbound calls, qualify leads, book appointments, and integrate with CRMs to reduce missed opportunities and speed responses to seconds; the platform's agents adjust in real time, manage SDR‑ and receptionist‑style tasks, and surface metrics like call volume, transcripts and qualified leads via a transparent dashboard, signaling a shift from headcount‑driven models to performance‑focused operations.

For a quick look at the launch and product claims, refer to coverage by Daily Outsourcing News and a MarketersMEDIA release detailing the 24/7, demo‑first experience that promises a branded voice demo in two minutes.

UF Jacksonville campus to offer Master of AI, Biomedical and Health Science - University of Florida officials are rolling out an experiential Master of AI in Biomedical and Health Sciences at the new Jacksonville graduate campus, a program designed to train clinicians and data scientists to develop trustworthy AI for diagnosis, treatment and prevention and to translate models into patient care and research (see the UF AIBHS program and the local announcement).

The degree is being promoted as the first of its kind in Florida and will sit alongside other AI‑focused master's offerings as UF builds a LaVilla campus near the Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center; plans include a $7 million retrofit of the Interline Brands building for classrooms and a phased enrollment that could bring hundreds of students to downtown Jacksonville by Fall 2026.

Picture a former industrial block refitted with clinical AI labs where tools can support perioperative decisions and precision‑medicine projects - a concrete step toward a citywide AI talent pipeline that employers will notice.

Detail	From reporting
Program	Master of AI in Biomedical and Health Sciences (AIBHS)
Campus site	LaVilla / area around Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center
Planned launch	Graduate programs by Fall 2026
Classroom retrofit	$7 million to retrofit Interline Brands building
Enrollment	Hundreds on campus projected by Fall 2026

“It's a brand new, unique program that does not exist in the state of Florida.” - Spencer Moore, UF Office for Strategic Initiatives

Facial recognition controversy and wrongful arrest scrutiny - Jacksonville-area policing is being forced to reckon with a stark example of AI overreach after multiple outlets reported that a facial-recognition hit led to the wrongful arrest of Robert Dillon, who was picked up outside his San Carlos Park home after the system returned a 93% match to surveillance from a Jacksonville Beach McDonald's even though he'd never been to the beach town some 300 miles away; the State Attorney dropped the case and his record was wiped (read the Gulf Coast News report on Dillon's arrest Gulf Coast News report on Robert Dillon's wrongful arrest).

Coverage in BiometricUpdate analysis of facial recognition misidentification and local reporting from Action News Jax report on AI misidentification in Jacksonville policing ties the misidentification to the JSO FACES/Idemia workflow and pushes the same policy point: algorithmic “confidence” isn't probable cause.

The episode is a vivid, costly reminder that as Jacksonville builds AI talent and infrastructure, legal guardrails and evidence standards must move faster than the tech - or people will pay the price.

“Police are not allowed under the Constitution to arrest somebody without probable cause. And this technology expressly cannot provide probable cause.”

Jacksonville Police are rolling AI into school security this fall, deploying ZeroEyes weapon‑detection software to scan existing camera feeds and flag objects that resemble guns so humans can quickly verify threats - coverage will span more than 60 inside-and-out feeds and promise near‑instant notifications to administrators and law enforcement to cut response times, supplementing rather than replacing School Resource Officers; the City Council signed the three‑year agreement (with the first two years funded by an ADECA grant) after officials stressed the system's potential to act as “another proactive step” in student safety (see the local coverage of the ZeroEyes rollout and City Council approval for implementation and funding details via WVTM13 local coverage of ZeroEyes rollout and ABC3340 City Council approval and funding details).

Cost reporting varies across outlets (roughly $30K/year cited for the software, with a third‑year local split of about $33,120), and police leaders say grant awards will also help upgrade comms and buy down longer‑term costs - an as‑installed, camera‑backed “extra set of eyes” that aims to detect dangers within seconds and give schools a critical head start if a real threat appears.

Detail	From reporting
Software	ZeroEyes AI weapon detection
Scope	Monitoring of 60+ camera feeds (inside & outside)
Contract	Three years; first two years grant‑funded
Estimated cost	~$30,000/year; third year split ~$33,120
Additional funding note	$115,000 grant referenced for upgrades/AI projects

“This could be the difference between life and death for people.”

UF-led study warns of nonconsensual explicit-image AI (SNEACI) risks - A University of Florida team (with Georgetown and the University of Washington) has coined the term SNEACI - pronounced “sneaky” - to describe a fast-growing class of AI “nudification” tools that can turn an ordinary photo into a realistic sexually explicit image in seconds; the NSF-funded study found 20 such websites, many hosted on mainstream platforms (seven on AWS, 12 using Cloudflare), that operate with little transparency, minimal age checks (only seven sites required an 18+ confirmation) and startlingly low cost (from free to about six cents per image), making abuse cheap, anonymous and scalable (read the University of Florida SNEACI study summary and local news coverage of the SNEACI findings for details).

The human harms are concrete - embarrassment, extortion and mental‑health tolls, with women disproportionately targeted and high‑profile victims reported - prompting researchers to press lawmakers and technologists for smarter guardrails, better platform accountability and a rethink of how open‑source tools are shared and monetized; for more reporting see the UF writeup on the SNEACI study and FloridaPolitics coverage of the SNEACI findings.

Finding	Detail
Sites analyzed	20 nudification websites
Cost per image	Free to ~$0.06
Age verification	7 of 20 sites required 18+ confirmation
Hosting	7 used AWS; 12 used Cloudflare
Targeting	Women disproportionately affected

“Anybody can do this,” said Kevin Butler, director of the Florida Institute for Cybersecurity Research.

FIS and Oxford Economics ‘Harmony Gap' report: local fintech implications - Jacksonville's own FIS helped quantify what many in finance fear: friction across the money lifecycle is expensive and AI is becoming the frontline response, with the study finding 78% of global businesses saying AI improved fraud detection, 56% scaling or fully implementing AI, and 45% planning to boost investment in the next two years; for Jacksonville this means local banks, payments firms and fintech teams should weigh rapid fraud‑detection gains against steep implementation costs and talent gaps - the report flags cost (73%), lack of in‑house expertise (64%) and integration headaches (58%) as adoption brakes - so regional leaders must pair investment with workforce upskilling and pragmatic build‑vs‑buy decisions to avoid leaving an estimated $98.5–$100M of “disharmony” on the table (read the full FIS release and a detailed summary on ThisWeekInFintech for context).

Finding	Detail
AI improves fraud detection	78% of respondents
Scaling/implementing AI	56%
Plan to increase AI investment	45%
Top barriers	Cost 73%; Lack of expertise 64%; Integration 58%
Estimated annual cost of disharmony	$98.5–$100M

“As threat actors adopt AI to commit fraud, it becomes increasingly important for businesses to employ AI to combat these sophisticated threats across the money lifecycle to help drive efficiency and bolster security.” - Firdaus Bhathena, CTO, FIS

FSCJ AI classes and community AI & Cybersecurity workshop - Florida State College at Jacksonville is leaning into practical, public-facing AI education with night classes open to the community, electives for students, and hands-on resources that help entrepreneurs and non‑programmers use tools like Microsoft Copilot and Canvas AI features responsibly; the college's IT hub curates tutorials, AI policies, a Canvas AI literacy module and a running calendar of events (from town halls to the “AI Goes to College” podcast) to bridge classroom learning and real workplace tasks (see FSCJ's AI resource center for guides and tools and local coverage on the rollout of community classes).

Instructors stress human‑in‑the‑loop checks and prompt iteration - think of AI turning meeting audio into a clean transcript, a list of action items, and a draft follow‑up in minutes - so students leave with usable skills, not just theory.

“AI is helping small businesses to run the tasks that would normally take them hours to do.” - Sha'Kia Riggins

Local entrepreneurship spotlight: Keene Lane Co., Canva partnerships and SheIsAI - Jacksonville's Keene Lane Co., led by Kathy Keene, is turning practical AI and smart marketing ops into local economic muscle: the firm landed a rare spot as one of five U.S. and global News4Jax report on a Jacksonville business using AI to boost others, using design AI to help nonprofits and small businesses find distinct brand identities, and pairing that platform work with an operations-first playbook outlined in Keene Lane Co.'s insights on marketing operations and AI alignment.

The result is a vivid example of tech-led entrepreneurship that's both practical and purposeful: tools that save hours on content and outreach while a local leader champions inclusion - recently stepping up as a brand ambassador for SheIsAI to push more women, especially from underserved communities, into AI and innovation.

“I recently became a brand ambassador for SheIsAI which is shaped around empowering women in AI,” Keene said.

Conclusion: A crossroads for Jacksonville - seize AI opportunities with careful guardrails. Duos' fast push - from a $40M upsized offering to modular 55ft × 13ft EDC pods and an expanded FiberLight alliance that aims to place compute within roughly 12 miles of users - makes clear that infrastructure, jobs, and low‑latency services are arriving in earnest (coverage: Duos Technologies raises $40M to fund Edge data centers; details on the FiberLight tie-up: Duos Edge AI and FiberLight expand strategic partnership).

The payoff for Jacksonville will depend on pairing buildout with talent and safeguards: targeted upskilling (for example, Nucamp's AI Essentials for Work bootcamp - practical AI skills for any workplace) and cybersecurity training can turn headline deployments into durable local opportunity while policy and operational guardrails keep real people from becoming unintended collateral as AI scales.

Bootcamp	Length	Early bird cost	Register
AI Essentials for Work	15 Weeks	$3,582	Register for the AI Essentials for Work bootcamp
Cybersecurity Fundamentals	15 Weeks	$2,124	Register for the Cybersecurity Fundamentals bootcamp

“Through our partnership with Accu‑Tech, we are executing with speed, precision, and reliability.”