Apple has acquired Q.ai, an Israeli start-up specializing in imaging and machine learning, particularly technologies that enable devices to interpret whispered speech and enhance audio in noisy environments.
Apple has been adding new AI features to its AirPods, including the live translation capability introduced last year.
The company has also developed technology that detects subtle facial muscle activity, which could help Apple enhance the Vision Pro headset.
Reportedly the deal is valued at nearly $2 billion, making it Apple’s second-largest acquisition to date, after buying Beats Electronics for $3 billion in 2014.
Q.ai launched in 2022 and is backed by Kleiner Perkins, Gradient Ventures, and others. Q.ai’s 100 employees, including CEO Aviad Maizels and co-founders Yonatan Wexler and Avi Barliya, will join Apple, the companies said.
Maizels founded Q.ai in 2022, shortly after leaving Apple, together with Dr. Yonatan Wexler (CTO), formerly of OrCam, and artificial intelligence researcher Dr. Avi Barliya.
The company raised $24.5 million in funding in January 2023, with investors in the start-up including venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins, Google Ventures, and the funds Aleph, Matter, Exor and Corner Ventures.
The startup has operated largely in stealth mode, and little is publicly known about its product. According to Apple, Q.ai develops innovative machine learning applications designed to transform audio and communication experiences, including technology that enables whisper-like speech and improves audio performance in challenging environments.
These technologies could be used to enhance communication with wearable devices such as AirPods or Apple’s Vision Pro headset, and to enable more natural and effective interaction with the Siri AI assistant.
In a statement, Maizels said,
“Joining Apple opens extraordinary possibilities for pushing boundaries and realizing the full potential of what we’ve created, and we’re thrilled to bring these experiences to people everywhere.”
Maizels founded three-dimensional sensing firm PrimeSense and sold it to Apple in 2013. The PrimeSense deal eventually helped Apple move away from fingerprint sensors on its iPhones and toward facial recognition technology.
Apple has been putting new AI features into its AirPods earbuds, last year introducing technology that allows them to translate speech between languages.
Q.ai “is a remarkable company that is pioneering new and creative ways to use imaging and machine learning,” Johny Srouji, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware technologies, said in a statement.
“We’re thrilled to acquire the company, with Aviad at the helm, and are even more excited for what’s to come.”
