US tech giant Apple has just acquired artificial intelligence startup Inductiv Inc., the latest in a string of acquisitions of AI-related firms aimed at bolstering the company's own AI systems. The acquisition comes just weeks after Apple had acquired AI-based natural language company Voysis and low-power AI tool specialist Xnor.ai.
The latest acquisition will be added to the company's already impressive collection of AI companies, which is likely part of Apple's wider efforts to significantly improve its AI-based Siri virtual assistant. Apple confirmed the deal this week but it did not disclose the exact amounts that were involved.
A report from Bloomberg had pointed out that a number of Inductiv employees had already updated their online resumes and profiles, indicating that they are now working at Apple. Inductiv is a company that mainly specializes in automating data correcting algorithms through the use of AI technology.
When asked for further information regarding the acquisition, Apple stated that it does buy smaller companies from time to time but it generally does not disclose the purpose of the acquisitions to the public. Apart from AI-related companies, Apple's most recent acquisitions include the purchase of weather app operator DarkSky and VR entertainment platform NextVR.
Apple is well-known to be one of the first pioneering companies to integrate virtual assistants into its products. The company first introduced its Siri virtual assistant back in 2011 as part of the launch of its iPhone 4S smartphone. This was years before Google and Amazon had launched their own virtual assistants, namely Google Assistant and Alexa, respectively.
Despite being one of the first to develop the technology, Apple's Siri voice-activated assistant has been lagging behind its counterparts. Google and Amazon's assistants have proven to be much superior to Apple's, in terms of general knowledge, aesthetics, and third-party service compatibility.
Apple aims to change that with future updates, which could be developed teams formed from its newly acquired companies. Experts predict that Apple will likely be including improvements to future Siri versions such as a more natural-sounding voice, added access to new services, and predictive behavior and responses based on conversations in messages and other app activities.
With the companies accelerated efforts to improve its virtual assistant, Apple likely wants Siri to be more than just a voice-activated helper. The company likely wants to develop Siri in an AI-system that lives in Apple's ecosystem and servers, tying its different products together. With Siri's help, owners will likely soon be able to interact with their iPhones, Macs, Apple Watches, and other Apple products using only their voices.
