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Agoda releases children’s book created using generative AI
Mumbai: Ahead of World Children’s Day which takes place annually on 20 November, digital travel platform Agoda created a children’s book using Generative AI (Gen AI) technology. The book, titled ‘Maya and the Secret World of Agoda’, sparks the imagination and encourages kids to explore and enjoy technology. It is now available to download for free on the Agoda platform and available in multiple languages, including Thai and English.
The original copy and the initial visual designs for the 24-page children’s book were created completely by Gen AI tools ChatGPT and Midjourney, under the supervision of Agoda’s marketing, tech, and translation teams.
‘Maya and the Secret World of Agoda’ is centered around a young girl named Maya, who embarks on an adventure while visiting her mother at Agoda’s Bangkok office. The book takes young readers on a journey, introducing them to technological concepts through charming characters that help capture their imaginations, making it an entertaining and educational choice for children and families interested in technology around the globe. It serves as a testament to Agoda’s dedication to technology and its commitment to inspiring creativity in young minds, especially in Asia where Agoda is headquartered.
“Creating this book has been a fun project to help encourage more kids to explore and enjoy technology” said Agoda chief technology officer Idan Zalzberg. “At the same time, it celebrates life at Agoda and the thousands of Agodans who work tirelessly to help travelers see the world for less. Both the copy and the visuals of the book could be improved with human involvement, but the result does show how rapidly this technology is improving.”
Zalzberg continued: “While the book was created mostly for fun and to inspire a future generation of tech talent, we take Gen AI very seriously within Agoda. There are over seventy internal projects taking place in the tech department alone to leverage increasing efficiency and improving our platform for travelers globally. Gen AI improvements are, as we speak, contributing to new under-the-hood features on the Agoda platform and is powering a more effective customer support experience.”
As a digital travel platform, Agoda is passionate about tech. To run the platform, Agoda uses over 500,000 CPU cores across four data centers around the world, managed by Agoda engineering. The Agoda data platform contains over 30 petabytes worth of data.
‘Maya and the Secret World of Agoda’ is now available for free download on
ago-da.co/aibook. There are editions available in the original AI-written English language, or in English combined with Thai, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Bahasa (Indonesia), Bahasa (Malaysia), Korean, or Vietnamese.
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With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
