Microsoft acquires AI firm for developing Cortana
Microsoft announced the acquisition of Semantic Machines Inc as it aims to grow higher in the field of AI. Semantic Machines has developed fundamental technology that allows humans to interact naturally with computers.
“We have acquired Semantic Machines Inc., a Berkeley, California- based company that has developed a new approach to building conversational AI. Their work uses the power of machine learning to enable users to discover, access and interact with information and services” Microsoft said. The company announced the acquisition on Sunday, saying the purchase was designed to boost not just AI- based voice assistant Cortana but also social chatbots such as XiaoIce, CNET reported. “We are further developing our work in conversational AI with our digital assistant Cortana, as well as with social chatbots like XiaoIce,” Microsoft added. XiaoIce has had more than 30 billion conversations, averaging up to 30 minutes each, with 200 million users across platforms in China, Japan, the United States, India and Indonesia. The company says with XiaoIce and Cortana, Microsoft has made breakthroughs in speech recognition and more recently become the first to add full- duplex voice sense to a conversational AI system, allowing people to carry on a conversation naturally.
Microsoft aims to use the technological expertise of the Semantics Machines Inc to push forward the boundaries in language interfaces with the use of AI. The idea is to create more natural and productive user experiences which enhance conversational computing.