Apple Acquires AI Audio Startup for $2 Billion

Apple’s latest acquisition is Q.ai, a four-year-old AI audio startup that specializes in developing technology to listen to “silent speech.” The deal, valued at $2 billion, is Apple’s second-largest ever after its 2014 purchase of Beats Electronics. Financial Times reports that the acquisition will bring in significant intellectual property, including patents for optical sensor technology that can be integrated into headphones or glasses to detect facial skin micro movements. This technology enables non-verbal interactions with AI assistants, opening up new possibilities for human-computer communication. Q.ai’s founders, including CEO Aviad Maizels, who co-founded PrimeSense and was later acquired by Microsoft in 2013, will join Apple as part of the deal.