Apple's latest gamble

By spending nearly $2 billion to acquire an artificial intelligence startup from Israel, Apple not only completed the second-largest acquisition in the company's history but also revealed its future ambitions.

This is the second largest acquisition in Apple's history, surpassed only by the $3 billion purchase of headphone manufacturer Beats. Photo: Anthony Kwan/Bloomberg .

According to the Financial Times, Apple has officially confirmed the acquisition of Q.ai, a startup specializing in AI for audio. With a reported price of nearly $2 billion , this is the second most valuable acquisition Apple has ever made, surpassed only by its $3 billion purchase of Beats in 2014.

For decades, Apple has been known for its cautious approach. Instead of splashing out on large corporations, they typically opt to acquire smaller startups to integrate core technologies into their ecosystem. However, the $2 billion investment in Q.ai suggests this is not simply a staff addition, but a strategic gamble.

The appeal of Q.ai that made Apple willing to spend money on it lies in its "silent speech" technology. Instead of requiring users to give voice commands—a sometimes inconvenient practice in public—Q.ai's technology can analyze the micro-movements of facial muscles and skin to decode language.

From the smallest movements that are difficult for the naked eye to detect, Q.ai's AI can decode what the user is trying to say. The startup's patents indicate that this technology will soon be integrated into future generations of AirPods or Vision Pro smart glasses. Users will then be able to "converse" with Siri completely privately without making any sound.

Notably, the founder of Q.ai is Aviad Maizels, a name no stranger to Apple. He is the founder of PrimeSense, the company behind the 3D sensor technology that Apple acquired in 2013 to create Face ID on the iPhone X. Apple's continued trust in Maizels' team demonstrates high expectations for the feasibility and breakthrough potential of this project.

Johny Srouji, Apple's Senior Vice President of Hardware Technology, lavished praise on Q.ai as a pioneer in combining computer vision and machine learning to create innovative ways of communicating.

"We are delighted to have acquired the company, with Aviad's leadership, and even more excited about what's to come," Srouji told Reuters.

This deal comes amidst a heated AI race. While former Apple design director Jony Ive is collaborating with OpenAI to develop a new AI device, other companies like Meta have already launched AI-powered devices, such as Meta Ray-Ban glasses with integrated displays within the lenses.

This $2 billion gamble could be the key for Apple to redefine how we interact with machines in the next decade, turning things that once seemed like science fiction into reality right on our headphones or everyday glasses.

Source: https://znews.vn/canh-bac-moi-nhat-cua-apple-post1624108.html