In the growing race of AI, where companies like Meta, Google, and OpenAI have been striving to develop new AI devices in the market, Apple has also decided to join in. The company has recently confirmed that it has acquired an Israeli artificial intelligence startup, Q.ai.
Reportedly, the deal is valued at approximately $2 billion, making it Apple’s second-largest acquisition to date, after buying Beats for $3 billion in 2014.
Q.ai was launched in 2022 and is backed by venture capital firms Matter Venture Partners, Kleiner Perkins, Spark Capital, Exor, and GV, formerly known as Google Ventures. This startup has worked on new applications of machine learning to help devices understand widespread speech and to enhance audio in challenging environments. The company has been working on artificial technology for audio.
Last year, Q.ai filed a patent application to use facial skin micromovements to detect words mouthed or spoken, identify a person, and assess their emotions, heart rate, respiration rate, and other indicators.
It is not specified exactly how Apple will use Q.ai’s technology, but it will definitely be building AI audio devices with the assistance of the startup company. Apple has already been adding new AI features to its AirPods, including the live translation capability that was introduced last year.
It is revealed that 100 employees of Q.ai, including CEO Aviad Maizels and co-founders Yonatan Wexler and Avi Bartiya, will be joining Apple. As reported by Reuters, Maizels said in a statement, “ Joining Apple opens extraordinary possibilities for pushing boundaries and realizing the full potential of what we’ve created, and we’re thrilled to bring these experiences to people everywhere.”
