Apple acquires Israeli audio AI startup Q.ai

Apple on Thursday ‍said it has acquired ​Q.ai, an Israeli startup working on artificial intelligence technology ⁠for audio. Apple did not disclose terms of the deal for Q.ai, which was backed by venture capital firms Matter Venture Partners, Kleiner Perkins, Spark Capital, Exor and ‌GV, formerly ‌known as Google Ventures. The Financial Times reported it was worth nearly $2 billion, a figure Reuters ‌could independently verify.

Apple did not say how it will use Q.ai’s technology but said the startup has worked on new applications of machine learning to help devices understand whispered speech and to enhance audio in challenging ​environments.