Facebook acquires Voice Recognition Firm, targets Apple Siri
In ambition to extend its reach beyond computers and
smartphones Facebook Inc acquired a
company that makes voice recognition technology for wearable devices and
internet-connected appliances.
On Monday Facebook
announced it acquired wit.ai without
providing a price for the deal. Wit.ai is
a 18-month old company based in Palo Alto, California, makes software that can recognize
spoken words as well as written text phrased in “Natural Language”
A representative from Facebook declined to provide details on how Facebook is planning to use this voice recognition technology or
with in which group of Facebook wit.ai team would work.
The deal comes as technology companies are racing to
bring internet connectivity to a new crop of devices, from watches to washing
machines. Voice recognition, the technology that helps power services such as Apple Inc's Siri, is considered a key
building block for the new devices to earn mainstream consumer appeal.
Facebook,
the world's largest internet social network, with 1.3 billion users, is
increasingly looking beyond the PCs, tablets and smartphones currently used to
access its service. In March, it acquired virtual reality headset maker Oculus VR for $2 billion.
The deal for wit.ai
is likely to have been significantly smaller. Wit.ai announced in October that it had raised $3 million in a
funding round led by venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz.
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