Apple acquires Q.ai for $2 billion, the second largest acquisition in its history
Q.ai's patented tech can read micro movements in someone’s face and can detect speech and emotions
🤝 Apple has announced its acquiring AI startup Q.ai
🤖 The company specializes in using AI for solving audio problems
💰 According to Reuters, the purchase is the second largest in Apple’s history
👔 The acquisition brings 100 new employees to Apple’s hardware division
Apple has reportedly made its second biggest acquisition in the company’s history.
According to news from Reuters, Apple has acquired Israeli AI startup Q.ai for approximately $2 billion. The company specializes in AI and machine learning to solve audio problems. It has patented technology that can read micro movements in someone’s face and can detect speech and emotions.
The purchase brings 100 new employees to Apple’s hardware division, and could enhance its future products with more advanced communication and privacy features.
Q.ai‘s website is very sparse, although there is a tagline that reads: “In a world full of noise, we craft a new kind of quiet”. The firm’s LinkedIn page has more information:
“In 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.”
The article from Reuters points out that Q.ai filed a patent last year to read facial skin micro movements to “detect words mouthed or spoken, identify a person and assess their emotions, heart rate, respiration rate and other indicators.” To put it simply, the company is developing technology designed to read lips, emotional state, and more besides.
Q.ai‘s CEO, Aviad Maizels, has previous with Apple, having founded PrimeSense, which was sold to the tech giant in 2013. That sale formed the basis of Apple’s development of Face ID and the TrueDepth sensor array.
Johny Srouji, Apple’s VP of Hardware Technologies, said that Q.ai “is a remarkable company that is pioneering new and creative ways to use imaging and machine learning. We’re thrilled to acquire the company, with Aviad at the helm, and are even more excited for what’s to come.”
The alleged $2 billion purchase price of Q.ai makes the firm the second-largest acquisition Apple has purchased. The most expensive was when it bought Beats back in 2014 for $3 billion, whereas the third largest purchase was for Intel’s modem business for $1 billion in 2016.
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Reece Bithrey is a journalist with bylines for Trusted Reviews, Digital Foundry, PC Gamer, TechRadar and more. He also has his own blog, UNTITLED, and graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in International History and Politics in 2023.