14 DAY TRIAL // As reported by Business Weekly, Apple has just acquired UK-based artificial-intelligence VocalIQ for a sum between $50 and $100 million, in an effort to add the company's adaptive and self-learning spoken dialogue technology to its own Siri virtual personal assistant.
Apple has confirmed the acquisition in a statement to Financial Times, which, not deviating from the usual acquisition confirmations, says that “Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans.”
VocalIQ explained in a blog post earlier this year that their artificial intelligence-powered virtual assistants come with a "conversational voice-dialog system that is able to use contextual information to initiate a sensible dialog with a human," thus making sure "that a billion drivers get to their destination much quicker and safer with minimal driver distraction."
The machine-learning-based conversational voice-dialog technology can be used to improve the control interface with Internet of Things (IoT) devices
Furthermore, according to VocalIQ's presentation of their product, as mentioned in the same blog post, their machine-learning conversational tech can also be used successfully in home automation, robotics, and even smart TVs.
Embedding this type of tech in such solutions would allow humans to effortlessly control them using natural language, with the devices being able to use contextual hints.
To sweeten the deal, VocalIQ also says that it has "developed the world’s first self-learning API and allow real conversation between human and the Internet of Things (machines)," which would allow Apple to include support for the IoT in their own devices wherever Siri can be used as an interface.
On the whole, the smart dialogue engine they have just obtained from UK-based VocalIQ comes with possible uses in Apple's own home automation, smart TV, smart devices, wearables, and language learning ventures, as well as in the "Apple Car" automotive project they are working on lately.
