Apple acquires audio AI startup Q.ai

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SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 29 : Apple on Thursday said it has acquired Q.ai, an Israeli startup working on artificial intelligence technology for audio.

Q.ai's founding team will join Apple, including CEO Aviad Maizels, who previously founded three-dimensional sensing firm PrimeSense and sold it to Apple in 2013. The PrimeSense deal eventually helped Apple move away from fingerprint sensors on its iPhones and toward facial recognition technology.

Apple did not disclose terms of the deal or what Q.ai's technology will be used for, but said the startup has worked on new applications of machine learning to help devices understand whispered speech and to enhance audio in challenging environments. In a statement, Maizels said "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.”

Apple has been putting new AI features into its AirPods earbuds, last year introducing technology that allows them to translate speech between languages.

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Q.ai "is a remarkable company that is pioneering new and creative ways to use imaging and machine learning," Johny Srouji, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware technologies, said in a statement. "We’re thrilled to acquire the company, with Aviad at the helm, and are even more excited for what’s to come.”

Q.ai co-founders Yonatan Wexler and Avi Barliya will also join Apple, the companies said.

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