Apple purchased Q.ai, which specializes in unique applications of AI for audio, for around $2 billion.<\/b>
\nIn summary:
Macworld reports that Apple acquired Israeli AI startup Q.ai for approximately $2 billion, marking Apple\u2019s second-largest acquisition ever.
Q.ai specializes in AI and machine learning for audio problems, with technology that reads facial micromovements to detect speech and emotions.
The acquisition brings 100 Q.ai employees into Apple\u2019s hardware division and may lead to enhanced communication features in future Apple products.
Reuters reports that Apple has confirmed its acquisition of Israeli start up Q.ai. The secretive company specializes in unique application of AI and Machine Learning to solve audio problems.
The website for Q.ai is sparse, with the tagline \u201cIn a world full of noise, we craft a new kind of quiet\u201d and little else. The Q.ai LinkedIn page has a bit more information: \u201cIn an age where human communication is everything, we found a way to take it to the next level, enabling super high bandwidth, unprecedented privacy, accessibility, multilingualism, and much more. Biology can only take us so far. Q will do the rest.\u201d
The Reuters article points out that Q.ai filed a patent last year to read facial skin micromovements to \u201cdetect words mouthed or spoken, identify a person and assess their emotions, heart rate, respiration rate and other indicators.\u201d In other words, Q.ai is developing technology that can read lips, emotional state, and more.
The company\u2019s CEO, Aviad Maizels, founded PrimeSense and sold it to Apple back in 2013. The technology from that company formed the foundations for Face ID and the TrueDepth sensor array.
The company has around 100 employees, who will join Apple. Johny Srouji, Apple\u2019s VP of Hardware Technologies, said that Q.ai \u201cis a remarkable company that is pioneering new and creative ways to use imaging and machine learning. We\u2019re thrilled to acquire the company, with Aviad at the helm, and are even more excited for what\u2019s to come.\u201d
It has been reported that Q.ai is valued at around $2B, which would make it the second-largest acquisition Apple has ever undertaken, behind Beats Electronics in 2014 (around $3B) and Intel\u2019s cellular modem business in 2016 (around $1B).<\/p>\n