Rafaela Prifti/

Donald (Don) Leka, Founder, Chairman and CEO of the Jumptuit Group has been a proponent of observing the world in real-time data with the purpose of forecasting global events that impact all of us, while changes may occur within seconds. “The notion that there are historical patterns is a device that gives us a certain degree of comfort. But in fact things are constantly changing,” Leka said at Data for Impact Event – The Convergence of Artificial Intelligence and International Relations, School of International Service, American University, Washington, DC on September 18.

A data system expert, Donald Leka has been called to consult on and present to various agencies and institutions on the importance of accurate data and the tools that are designed to do it. The Ukraine war, he argues, is a large-scale example of the power of forecasting. It is a case where the potential impact of inaccurate data is just too massive to be ignored or disregarded.

The July 25 issue of Newsweek published Donald Leka’s critical views of the US response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine starting with sanctions and military aid by US and NATO. “The purpose of the sanctions was to deny Russia the ability to finance its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and bring the war to a swift conclusion. The White House issued a statement on April 6, 2022, outlining its policy toward Russia based on forecasts by experts predicting “Russia’s GDP will contract up to 15 percent this year, wiping out the last fifteen years of economic gains. Similar forecasts regarding Russia’s GDP contraction were made by the World Bank, reporting in April 2022,”sanctions already in place are expected to drive Russia’s GDP down by 11.2 percent in 2022.” (Forecasts, Policies and Outcomes: The Human and Financial Cost of Miscalculations, Leka Donald, Newsweek, July 25, 2023)The sactions did not succees in bringing Russia to the negotiating table.

“The forecasts failed to assess Russia’s ability to dynamically adapt to the sanctions by increasing economic activity and trade with India, China, the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa. The signals were readily available in real-time data but were unaccounted for in the forecast models,” writes Leka. The policymakers were inclined to and did follow inaccurate predictations that did not materialize. The outcomes is a prolonged war as the military aid pours into the country. “Despite the scale of economic sanctions and military aid, Ukraine has been unable to dislodge Russia from Eastern Ukraine,” the Jumtuit Founder writes.

There is no disputing that the forecasts that governments, organizations, and companies rely on is largely dependent on the currency, reliability, and completeness of the data. The question of accepting and relying on a comprehensive data system is not without challenges. One of them is AI. Leka says that “The challenge of applying AI and data science to understanding global events has become essential in an increasingly interdependent world and in the current crisis in Ukraine.”

Donald Leka has been developing pioneering cloud and mobile technologies since the early 2000s as a recent graduate student of the School of International Service, American University in Washington DC. AI ultimately led to the combining of his passions for International relations and data system building to synergize international data obtainment and analyze using machine learning and AI applications. The American University alumnus and his associates founded Jumptuit Group in 2013, “to address the need to quickly access accurate data and make informed decisions.” Jumptuit is a company poised to meet the challenge of applying AI and data science to understanding global events. It is an essential tool in an increasingly interdependent world and in the current crisis in Ukraine. Although it will remain unknown whether realistic forecasts prior to invasion would have de-escalated the conflict and given the edge to diplomatic efforts, Leka’s confidence in real-time data is stronger than ever. And so is the appeal for the technology that delivers it including the AI powered scenarios.

An entrepreneur in the information technology industry, Leka understood early on that “For technology to be widely applied, it must first widely appeal.” The Founder and CEO of Jumtuit has set out to putting data to work and to thinking of everyone in the process.

His engagement with real-world experience goes back to the University days of organizing international protests and providing humanitarian assistance. His background and education poised him well to brigde his global experience with business and technology. Donald Leka is an expert in analysis of huge data sets with algorithms to generate data-driven insights and scenario forecasting. “The intersection between cloud computing, AI, data science and the social sciences is where I have spent my career,” says Leka. He is a member of the higly respected Leka family, and the son of Dr. Agim Leka, (01.25.1924 – 03.08.2018) a philanthropic and pioneering doctor with an exemplary pasion for history and immense love for his homecountry of Albania.