Apple has acquired Israeli artificial intelligence startup Q.ai for approximately $2 billion, according to Financial Times sources, making it the company’s second-largest acquisition ever after the $3 billion Beats purchase in 2014. This is also Apple’s biggest deal since acquiring Intel’s smartphone modem business for $1 billion in 2019.
Q.ai developed technology that analyzes facial expressions to enable “silent speech” recognition, potentially allowing users to communicate with Siri through visual cues rather than voice commands alone.
Johny Srouji, Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Technologies, confirmed the deal and praised Q.ai as “a remarkable company that is pioneering new and creative ways to use imaging and machine learning.”
The acquisition reunites Apple with entrepreneur Aviad Maizels, Q.ai’s co-founder, who previously founded PrimeSense. Apple acquired PrimeSense in 2013 and used its technology to create Face ID, which debuted on the iPhone X in 2017.
The $2 billion investment highlights Apple’s focus on advancing AI capabilities and building on proven Israeli technology partnerships. The facial expression analysis could enable new accessibility features and interaction methods across Apple devices.
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