This Month's Latest Tech News in Omaha, NE - Saturday May 31st 2025 Edition

Omaha is poised for a technology renaissance this June, with AI innovation and community-focused growth driving economic momentum. The Greater Omaha Chamber's new partnership with Scott Data aims to strengthen Omaha's reputation as a Midwest AI powerhouse, providing small and mid-sized businesses access to cutting-edge computing, consulting, and a dedicated AI incubator program.

As Chamber President Heath Mello put it,

“This partnership is a bold step forward in making Omaha the premier destination in the Midwest and the country for AI innovation and adoption.”

Local startups are also making waves - Workshop recently secured $12 million in Series A funding to scale its AI-powered internal communications platform, marking one of Nebraska's largest recent startup investments (Omaha AI startup Workshop's $12M Series A funding).

Grassroots organizations have new funding avenues as the Omaha Venture Group's 2025 grant cycle encourages bold nonprofit initiatives in health, education, and workforce development (Omaha Venture Group 2025 grant opportunities).

Meanwhile, global trends in AI funding continue to shape opportunities for local founders and job seekers, as seen in the latest venture deals spotlighting startups in logistics, agriculture, and security (May 2025 AI startup funding: trends and takeaways).

For Omahans looking to break into tech entrepreneurship, Nucamp offers specialized bootcamps - including Solo AI Tech Entrepreneur and Full Stack Web + Mobile Development - supported by flexible financing and scholarships.

Omaha's combined push for AI leadership and inclusive tech growth signals a pivotal summer for innovation and community advancement.

An innovative collaboration between Fiserv and Omaha Public Schools is accelerating tech education for local youth, as 48 middle schoolers from Bluestem, Norris, and Lewis & Clark Middle Schools recently graduated from the 11-week Fiserv Future Techies Program.

Held after school at Fiserv's offices, the program immersed students in hands-on experiences with artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, robotics, and the evolution of commerce, preparing them for future opportunities in technology and financial industries.

Highlights include the “Shark Security” project - an ATM ID verification system using hand and body scans - created by Bluestem students, which was selected to compete nationally against teams from other Fiserv locations.

Students built solutions using virtual reality, AI, and cybersecurity concepts, reflecting the program's emphasis on practical application and future readiness.

As Fiserv's Chief Risk Officer Joanne Sebby explained,

“It's really focused on the evolution of commerce to get them ready to be the future of commerce.”

The powerful impact of this initiative led Susan Christopherson, OPS's Chief Academic Officer, to note,

“I think it's a very powerful hands-on experience for our young people.”

For more details, see the Omaha World-Herald's in-depth coverage of student projects and experiences, explore additional reporting on GovTech's spotlight on Omaha's next-gen tech talent, and watch highlights from the Fiserv Future Techies graduation event on KETV.

Omaha tech innovation took center stage this month as Bot Image and Koelis announced a transformative partnership leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance prostate cancer detection and biopsy.

The FDA-cleared ProstatID™ software from Bot Image - developed via a collaboration with NIH researchers and trained on thousands of MRI scans - automatically detects lesions, segments the prostate, and assigns clinically meaningful risk scores, substantially improving diagnostic consistency and speed for radiologists.

By integrating ProstatID™'s AI into Koelis' advanced Trinity® MRI-fusion biopsy system, physicians can benefit from real-time, automated cancer lesion mapping and precise 3D patient-specific prostate models, streamlining workflow and reducing reliance on operator expertise.

As Dr. Randall Jones, CEO of Bot Image, explained,

“The 93.6% sensitivity-specificity of ProstatID™ (AUROC) is unmatched. It performs segmentation and classification, providing PI-RADS or Level-of-Suspicion (LOS) scores, alongside risk assessments from 1-99.”

The impact of this partnership goes beyond efficiency - early and more accurate cancer detection can potentially save thousands of lives given prostate cancer's prevalence among American men.

For a full overview of this collaboration's features and clinical significance, visit the official Koelis and Bot Image partnership announcement, get in-depth details about the underlying AI technology and its FDA clearance in the NIH Data Science report on FDA clearance of AI software for prostate cancer detection, and explore how this AI-driven device will streamline biopsy workflows for local providers in the comprehensive breakdown by Imaging Technology News on Bot Image's FDA-cleared AI software.

The University of Nebraska Omaha's migration to Microsoft 365 is ushering in a new era of AI collaboration, making advanced productivity tools and secure generative AI accessible across campus.

Students and faculty can now tap into Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat's GPT-4o-powered AI, which integrates with Outlook, Teams, and other collaboration platforms while maintaining enterprise-grade data protection and privacy.

Professional development programs and dedicated sessions - such as the Copilot Chat for All Users series - help educators and IT professionals maximize these features for personalized learning, research, and innovation.

As one AI trial leader noted,

“The real promise of Copilot Chat isn't efficiency - it's cognition.”

Recent case studies from peer institutions highlight results such as a reduction in administrative workload by over 9 hours per week and stronger student agency in project-based learning.

With new tools, skilling centers, and dashboards, UNO's adoption of Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat positions the university at the forefront of responsible, AI-driven education and collaboration.

Meta has launched its highly anticipated standalone AI app, Meta AI, marking a significant escalation in the global competition among artificial intelligence chatbots and providing new opportunities for Omaha technologists and businesses.

Built on the Llama 4 model, the app offers a deeply personalized digital assistant experience - remembering user preferences, supporting natural voice interactions, and integrating seamlessly across Meta's primary platforms like Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Ray-Ban Meta glasses.

A unique Discover feed enables users to explore AI use cases and share creative prompts, while privacy controls empower users to manage what is shared.

The app's debut pits Meta head-to-head with OpenAI's ChatGPT and other rivals, as CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Meta AI now serves over 1 billion monthly active users worldwide - a milestone that underlines both its broad adoption and market ambitions.

In Zuckerberg's words,

“It may seem kind of funny that a billion monthly actives doesn't seem like it's at scale for us, but that's where we're at.”

For Omaha's tech ecosystem, Meta's open strategy and robust API integrations mean startups and developers can leverage its AI for new products, innovative customer experiences, and community engagement.

As Meta restructures its AI teams to accelerate product rollouts, industry watchers in Omaha will want to monitor how this powerful assistant cultivates partnerships and fuels the city's growing AI workforce.

For detailed competitive benchmarks, see the table below:

Platform	Monthly Active Users	Integration
Meta AI	1 billion	Multiple apps & devices
Google Gemini	400 million	Google ecosystem
OpenAI ChatGPT	1 billion (weekly)	Standalone/app integrations

Learn more about Meta AI's release and industry implications in this AI app competition analysis and its impact by reading the latest industry report from NBC.

Infotec 2025 returned to Omaha on May 5, uniting over 300 entrepreneurs, industry professionals, and tech leaders at the Kiewit Luminarium for the Midwest's top business and technology conference focused on AI, cybersecurity, and innovation.

Backed by AIM Institute, this year's event featured keynotes from visionaries such as Sam Sapp, who urged attendees to

“harness AI potential and act as a bridge for the next generation,”

and panels that addressed everything from workforce development to the practical realities of AI and automation.

Attendees explored the evolving landscape through sessions on topics like AI-powered marketing, digital risk management, and strategies for attracting Gen Z talent, with the following focus areas taking center stage:

Focus Area	Key Topics
AI & Automation	Industry transformation, prompt engineering, future workforce
Cybersecurity & Risk Management	Digital asset protection, innovation safeguards
Data & Business Intelligence	Analytics-driven insights, smarter decision-making
Talent & Workforce Development	Attracting/upskilling tech workforce, Gen Z engagement
Emerging Technologies	Software tools, cutting-edge business applications

As AIM Institute launches the next phase of its five-year plan, attendees were reminded that

“technology is an enabler”

regardless of sector, and encouraged to leverage both collaboration with startups and ongoing education for business relevance.

For a comprehensive event agenda and speaker lineup, visit the official Infotec 2025 conference site; for an in-depth breakdown of key takeaways and industry analysis, read Silicon Prairie News' coverage on Infotec's impact and strategy; and to secure your spot at next year's event, access registration details on Eventbrite for Infotec 2025.

Omaha's University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) and its partners are accelerating student well-being through the thoughtful deployment of conversational AI tools.

As AI-powered chatbots and mental health assistants see growing adoption on campuses nationwide, recent research suggests AI can deliver personalized interventions, flag early warning signs, and help scale support services that are stretched thin - provided institutions address privacy, equity, and oversight concerns.

For example, pilot programs like Eliza Chat for middle schoolers in Illinois leverage clinical supervision and human escalation pathways to create a safe, supportive environment, and recognized therapy chatbot trials show measurable benefits for student mental health according to a Dartmouth-led clinical study.

Meanwhile, AI chatbots at universities, such as the University of Houston's Shasta, help students access information and resources around the clock, reducing wait times and improving campus experience as detailed by The Daily Cougar.

However, national reports caution that AI should complement - not replace - traditional care; human oversight, privacy protection, and bias mitigation remain essential.

A recent EDUCAUSE survey found only 55% of students are satisfied with campus mental health services, with AI chatbots cited as promising tools to fill current gaps, provided institutions integrate them thoughtfully and inclusively.

As schools like UNO innovate, a collaborative, ethics-first approach is key to ensuring technology bolsters - not supplants - the human foundation of student well-being.

This month, UNL experts and global analysts are sounding the alarm as Nebraska's booming AI sector drives an unprecedented increase in electricity demand. The International Energy Agency projects that worldwide data center electricity usage will more than double by 2030, reaching approximately 945 terawatt-hours - surpassing Japan's entire current consumption.

AI is the main culprit, as training and running large models require vast computational resources, dramatically outpacing electricity demand from traditional industries like steel and cement manufacturing.

In Nebraska and neighboring Midwestern states, data center growth is rapid: Nebraska alone houses 36 centers, and new investments, like Google's Lincoln campus, will further expand regional capacity.

However, according to a UNL Schorr Center report, the surge in AI training means data processing could soon outstrip the power used for all energy-intensive goods produced in the U.S. Industry analysis estimates that by 2025, as many as 40% of AI-focused data centers nationwide may face power shortages unless substantial new energy sources are added to local grids (PCMag report on AI data center power shortages).

The tables below underscore both national trends and the rising power intensity of AI workloads:

Activity	Power Consumption (Wh)
Traditional Google Search	0.3
ChatGPT AI Query	2.9

Scenario	US Data Center Electricity Share (2030)
Low-Growth	4.6%
High-Growth	up to 9.1%

These challenges have serious environmental and economic implications, prompting experts to urge investment in low-power electronics, renewables, and stronger partnerships between utilities and tech companies.

As summarized by the Electric Power Research Institute,

“The data center boom requires closer collaboration between large data center owners and developers, utilities, government, and other stakeholders to ensure that we can power the needs of AI while maintaining reliable, affordable power to all customers.”

For in-depth global context on this data-driven transformation, see the IEA's Energy and AI report.

The University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) is actively engaging students in steering the role of artificial intelligence in education through innovative programming, research, and community dialogue.

This spring, UNO launched an AI readiness research study inviting students to share their perspectives on AI's impact on learning, problem-solving, and career development, aiming to shape future resources and strategies for effective AI integration.

Complementing research efforts, UNO educators have woven AI into the curriculum - from the mental health CAPS Chatbot and doctoral teaching workshops to Spanish language practice powered by custom GPTs - demonstrating a broad commitment to future-ready skill building, as outlined in their profiles of AI-enhanced learning experiences.

In the humanities, faculty like Dr. Martina Saltamacchia have pioneered methods using AI for research and writing, fostering critical thinking rather than passive adoption.

As Dr. Saltamacchia observed,

“The idea came from two competing realities, an epidemic of AI use among students in writing-based Humanities courses, and the bafflement of faculty on how to tackle this challenge.”

UNO's support framework - via its AI Learning Lab and the Division of Innovative and Learning-Centric Initiatives - equips both faculty and students with best practices and practical tools, ensuring responsible, ethical, and creative engagement with AI. These collective efforts empower student voices in not just adapting to, but actively shaping, the evolving intersection of technology and education.

Discover more about UNO's approach to responsible AI in higher education by exploring their feature on embracing AI for workforce readiness.

AI-powered breakthroughs in protein mapping are making headlines globally - and sparking fresh possibilities in Omaha's bioscience community. Researchers at MIT, Harvard, and the Broad Institute have developed a new machine learning method capable of predicting the location of any protein within a human cell at the single-cell level, potentially saving months of laboratory work and enhancing disease diagnosis and drug discovery.

The innovative tool, called PUPS, merges protein language models with computer vision, outperforming previous AI benchmarks and enabling rapid exploration of protein mislocalization - a factor in conditions like Alzheimer's, cystic fibrosis, and cancer - as detailed by MIT News' coverage on AI protein localization.

Complementing these advances, new AI models such as InstaNovo and InstaNovo+ are enabling labs to identify previously undetectable peptide sequences at unprecedented speed, greatly improving microbiome studies, personalized medicine, and cancer immunology; in fact, these models mapped 10 times as many sequences as traditional database searches in key clinical scenarios (ScienceDaily: Game-changing AI for protein science).

Meanwhile, tools like RibbonFold focus on disease-linked misfolded proteins, outperforming existing platforms to reveal why proteins implicated in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's can adopt multiple pathological forms - a key shift for targeted drug development.

As Peter Wolynes, co-developer of RibbonFold, explains:

“RibbonFold outperforms other AI-based prediction tools like AlphaFold, which were trained only to predict correctly folded globular protein structures.”

These advances promise to empower Omaha laboratories and pharmaceutics as AI-driven protein mapping enters local research pipelines; for an in-depth look at RibbonFold's disease applications, visit News-Medical's feature on misfolded protein mapping with AI.

Omaha's commitment to leveraging technology for public good is evident in the nationwide “Unfinished Legacies” campaign, which uniquely applies locally-developed artificial intelligence to give a voice to victims of fentanyl overdoses.

By recreating the likeness and speech of those lost, such as Jordan Coburn, the project shares their stories directly with audiences, aiming for a powerful, emotional impact.

Innovations go beyond increased awareness - AI-generated messages are clearly disclosed, addressing ethical concerns about deepfakes and trust. As explained by campaign leaders, families provide original footage and consent, while advanced AI combines family media with recorded actor performances to create respectful, realistic representations.

“Still can't believe I'm dead. What I didn't know, no one knew – was that there was Fentanyl in it,”

Jordan's AI-recreated voice warns.

The escalating dangers are clear: according to CDC data, counterfeit pills were involved in 2% of overdose deaths in 2019 and had more than doubled to 4.7% by 2021, disproportionately affecting teens and young adults (see table below).

To tackle these risks, Omaha officials urge the public to stay vigilant as even more potent fentanyl compounds appear locally, with overdose incidents rising to several per week and requiring multiple doses of NARCAN. Read more about the technology's impact and Juanita Coburn's story in KCTV5's coverage of Unfinished Legacies, the national campaign's technical and ethical background in InvestigateTV's feature on AI technology in fatal drug overdose stories, and current Omaha overdose trends in WOWT's report on potent fentanyl compounds in Omaha.

Year	% Overdose Deaths Involving Counterfeit Pills
2019	2%
2021	4.7%

As Omaha positions itself as the Midwest's premier destination for artificial intelligence, the region's momentum is anchored by ambitious partnerships, robust infrastructure, and a surge in startup activity.

The Greater Omaha Chamber's new alliance with Scott Data provides local businesses - especially small and midsize firms - access to cutting-edge AI resources and incubator programs, with leadership emphasizing,

“We are building Omaha into a city of the future where cutting-edge technology, strategic vision and momentum blaze a trail for future generations”

(Greater Omaha Chamber partnership details).

This local drive mirrors national trends, as AI startups continue to secure record-setting venture capital rounds - such as OpenAI's $40 billion and Databricks' $10 billion - pointing to a robust but increasingly competitive landscape with strong expectations for sustainable business models and responsible innovation.

Recent funding rounds spotlight the diversity of AI-driven solutions, from AI-powered supply chain optimization to platforms that leverage machine learning for healthcare, logistics, and retail security, as shown in key 2025 deals listed below:

Startup	Sector	Amount Raised
OpenAI	Foundational AI	$40B
Databricks	Data Analytics/AI	$10B
Nexthop AI	AI Networking	$110M
Veesion	Retail Security AI	$43M

For Omaha's growing pool of aspiring entrepreneurs and career changers eager to join this dynamic field, programs like Nucamp's Solo AI Tech Entrepreneur bootcamp offer practical, accessible training to launch AI-driven ventures and capitalize on these emerging opportunities (Solo AI Tech Entrepreneur bootcamp details).

The convergence of strategic investment, supportive community initiatives, and hands-on education sets a compelling stage for Omaha's next generation to lead in AI innovation - demonstrating that future growth here will depend as much on accessible education as on visionary partnerships (Latest AI startup funding trends).