Ondrej Holzman Apple made its third acquisition in Great Britain this year, this time looking at the technology start-up VocalIQ, which deals with artificial intelligence software that helps in more natural communication between computer and human. Siri, the voice assistant in iOS, could benefit from this.
VocalIQ uses software that is constantly learning and trying to better understand human speech, so that it can communicate with humans more effectively and follow commands. Current virtual assistants such as Siri, Google Now, Microsoft's Cortana or Amazon's Alexa only work based on clearly defined interactions and need to be told a precise command.
In contrast, VocalIQ devices with voice recognition and learning technologies also try to understand the context in which commands are given and act accordingly. In the future, Siri could be improved, but VocalIQ technologies are also used in the automotive industry.
The British start-up focused on automobiles, even cooperating with General Motors. A system where the driver would only have a conversation with his assistant and not have to look at the screen would not be so distracting. Thanks to VocalIQ's self-learning technology, such conversations would not have to be "machine".
Apple confirmed its latest acquisition for Financial Times with the usual line that "he buys small technology companies from time to time, but generally does not reveal his intentions and plans". According to FT should the VocalIQ team continue to remain in Cambridge, where they are based, and to work remotely with Apple's headquarters in Cupertino.
But VocalIQ will surely be happy to participate in the improvement of Siri. On his blog in March marked apple voice assistant as a toy. "All major technology companies are pouring billions into the development of services like Siri, Google Now, Cortana or Alexa. Each was launched with great fanfare, promising great things but failing to meet customer expectations. Some ended up being used only as toys, like Siri. The rest was forgotten. Unsurprisingly.'
