Apple enhances Siri team with purchase of VocalIQ, a car-focused British speech tech firm
Natural language processing firm VocalIQ, a U.K. company with a particular interest in voice control within automobiles, has reportedly been acquired by Apple, in a likely attempt to bolster its voice-driven personal assistant Siri.
Apple confirmed the deal to the Financial Times, but declined to give anymore specifics, such as a purchase price, for its latest acquisition. While VocalIQ's technology could be applied in a number of ways, the company was especially focused on voice recognition in the automotive world, where it worked on projects with General Motors.
Like Siri, VocalIQ's technology is focused on the understanding of natural language, allowing users to interact with their devices in a casual, conversational way rather than memorizing prompts that the system will understand.
The company stems from the University of Cambridge Dialogue Systems Group. It's expected that the VocalIQ team will remain in Cambridge, according to the Times.
VocalIQ's website remains online, including a blog post from the company in March of this year where it dismissed Apple's Siri as simply a "toy." Still, VocalIQ ranked Siri better than other voice-driven competitors, most of which have been simply "forgotten," they wrote.
"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 huge and undeniable," the post reads. "The first one to meet that demand will rule the smartphone and wearables market for the next decade."
VocalIQ's involvement with the automotive world is also likely to drive speculation about the prospects for a connected Apple vehicle. Rumors have persisted throughout 2015 suggesting that an "Apple Car" being developed under the codename "Project Titan" is the Cupertino company's next major new product category.
Apple is said to be working on its project largely at a secretive facility in Sunnyvale, Calif., known by the code-name "SG5." AppleInsider uncovered evidence earlier this year suggesting that a shell company known as SixtyEight Research may be a cover for Apple to help conceal its true operations at the Sunnyvale garage.
Apple confirmed the deal to the Financial Times, but declined to give anymore specifics, such as a purchase price, for its latest acquisition. While VocalIQ's technology could be applied in a number of ways, the company was especially focused on voice recognition in the automotive world, where it worked on projects with General Motors.
Like Siri, VocalIQ's technology is focused on the understanding of natural language, allowing users to interact with their devices in a casual, conversational way rather than memorizing prompts that the system will understand.
The company stems from the University of Cambridge Dialogue Systems Group. It's expected that the VocalIQ team will remain in Cambridge, according to the Times.
VocalIQ's website remains online, including a blog post from the company in March of this year where it dismissed Apple's Siri as simply a "toy." Still, VocalIQ ranked Siri better than other voice-driven competitors, most of which have been simply "forgotten," they wrote.
"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 huge and undeniable," the post reads. "The first one to meet that demand will rule the smartphone and wearables market for the next decade."
VocalIQ's involvement with the automotive world is also likely to drive speculation about the prospects for a connected Apple vehicle. Rumors have persisted throughout 2015 suggesting that an "Apple Car" being developed under the codename "Project Titan" is the Cupertino company's next major new product category.
Apple is said to be working on its project largely at a secretive facility in Sunnyvale, Calif., known by the code-name "SG5." AppleInsider uncovered evidence earlier this year suggesting that a shell company known as SixtyEight Research may be a cover for Apple to help conceal its true operations at the Sunnyvale garage.
Comments
Recognition is not Siri's issue, it's understanding. Understanding what a sentence means, whether it's speech or text or braille or something else.
My point that Siri consists of a set of canned replies with a random element on a set of canned sentences seems to be true. No NLP parsing in sight.
My only issue these days is she simply doesn't know enough local geography. Not her fault but her trainers
Could be worse
Consider yourself lucky. I get shown a minge.
Edit: on second thought maybe you're unlucky.
I just asked Siri for 'pictures of kitties' and got a load of wee kitten pics. I didn't try pussies.
Ironically she does not have issues with the term "Bee Ridge Rd, exit" to see about how long it should take to get me there when traffic is heavy on I-75. I occasionally might have to draw out my Beeeeee a bit if she doesn't get it the first time however. But trying to get an address on Bee Ridge never works out.
Well good to know it's not my English accent on 'Bee' LOL. Cheers. How's PC?
I tried "show me a pussy". The results were mixed, to say the least.
You have to know *how* to ask.
There is no "kitty." That's too colloquial. However, there is "kitten." Better to go for variety and say "kittens."
"Show me kittens." But "show" how? Show WHAT of kittens?
"Show me PHOTOS of kittens."
Meowch better.
Funny thing, you know? The complaint with virtual assistants before Siri was that the canned responses were not random in some cases and were the same every time. As the audience gets more sophisticated they start getting higher standards. Artificial intelligence is a really neat field.
Lol. Me too! I'm a umbler too but I do use a wireless headset (Powerbeats 2) so maybe having the mic close to my mouth helps? Distance doesn't seem to be an issue. I leave my phone in the upstairs bedroom then access Siri from the downstairs kitchen. I like that he repeats everything before sending in case I do need to make changes.
But maybe Siri is picking up too much room noise/talking when using the speaker - talk at the phone technique?
Interesting article on vocaliq's site....
"Smartphone makers to consumers: "Lend Me Your Ears!"
The fight for the visual user-experience (UX) is over. Apple won. The rest; Android, Windows Phone and various other Linux based platforms are at best, poor copies.
Unless some new tectonic development in UX happens, the current position of market shares (and money shares) in smartphones is expected to continue for the foreseeable future."
Sounds about right..
Another thing under Eddy Cue's leadership that is far from perfect. Siri should be so much better than it is right now. And once again I was using Apple Music and having issues playing songs getting error messages that the song couldn't be downloaded (I was trying to play it not download it) or it would play a few seconds of the song and then go silent. I think Apple needs a new role for Eddy that doesn't involve internet services.
Better yet, how about Eddy doing a "Jony Ive" and back away from direct involvement? Apple can have two Cue lieutenants, VP of Digital Content and VP of Digital Services.