Apple has announced that it has acquired Voysis, a Dublin-based startup. Voysis developed the technology to grasp different people’s language even when they speak in their native accent.
Voysis is an Irish company that has developed technology that helps digital voice assistants understand natural language better. Peter Cahill and Noel Ruane co-founded the startup in 2012. Their voice recognition system is proficient at recognizing and responding to voice commands from users.
Apple could use the acquired know-how to improve Siri’s understanding of natural language. On the other hand, it could offer the Voysis platform to thousands of developers that already integrate with the Apple digital assistant.
Voysis’s system taps into Wavenets, an AI-based method for creating more human-like computer speech. In 2018, Voysis co-founder, Peter Cahill, explained that the startup managed to shrink its system to the point where, once the AI is trained, the software uses as little as 25 megabytes of memory. This feature made it much easier to run on smartphones without an internet connection.
Apple has been the top buyer of AI startups in recent years. It has acquired many startups including Turi, Xnor.ai, and Laserlike.
If you see something out of place or would like to contribute to this story, check out our Ethics and Policy section.
