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Why Apple's Artificial Intelligence Acquisition Is Much Bigger Than Siri

Apple quietly acquired a small UK artificial intelligence outfit this week, based in Cambridge and called Vocal IQ, in which many believe is a play to just enhance Siri's capabilities. Vocal IQ, a speech-related artificial intelligence company, says its technology is a core component to the delivery of the Internet of Things. The software, based on more than a decade of research, offers users the ability to talk more naturally with their smart devices. 

Vocal IQ introduced the world's first self-learning dialogue API - putting real, natural conversation between people and their devices. Every time your application is used it gets a little bit smarter. Previous conversations are central to it's learning process - allowing the system to better understand future requests and in turn, react more intelligently.

What's interesting is that in 2014, Vocal IQ were working with General Motors to integrate its capabilities into an intelligent voice-controlled system for its cars that would let users turn on their windshield wipers or adjust car stereo settings by speaking. 

The big war brewing in UX is for the voice UX. - Vocal IQ

Vocal IQ, in a 2015 blog post wrote that while Apple won the visual UX, AI assistants like Google Now, Cortana and even Siri are a long way off from being perfect. Imagine hiring an assistant who, in most cases did not properly understand what you asked it to do, did not bother to tell you what it did not understand, and instead of clarifying what it did not understand, simply executed the result of the misunderstanding. They go on to write that the consumer demand for a self-learning multi-domain conversational voice system where consumers can freely talk about movies, restaurants, music, hotel bookings and the meaning of life, is where the real prize is. 


http://www.forbes.com/sites/theopriestle...uture-tech