Apple acquires 'Israeli' startup Q.ai for approximately $2 billion

• Apple buys Q.ai, an 'Israeli' AI startup valued at $1.6 billion, to advance audio and speech technologies.
• Q.ai’s team and technology, including whispered speech recognition and facial micromovement detection, will join Apple.

Apple announced it has acquired Q.ai, an 'Israeli' startup developing artificial intelligence technology for audio applications. Financial terms were not officially disclosed, but sources familiar with the deal say it valued Q.ai at around $1.6 billion.

Technology aimed at speech and emotion detection

Q.ai has focused on machine learning applications that allow devices to understand whispered speech and improve audio in noisy or challenging environments. Last year, the startup filed a patent to detect words mouthed or spoken using "facial skin micromovements," as well as to identify users and measure emotional and physical indicators such as heart rate and respiration.

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Apple has not detailed exactly how it will use Q.ai’s technology, but the acquisition aligns with its ongoing AI enhancements in devices, including AirPods, which gained speech translation features last year.

Experienced team joins Apple

Q.ai’s 100 employees, including CEO Aviad Maizels and co-founders Yonatan Wexler and Avi Barliya, will move to Apple. Maizels previously founded 3D sensing firm PrimeSense, which Apple acquired in 2013 and used to develop facial recognition technology for iPhones.

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"Joining Apple opens extraordinary possibilities for pushing boundaries and realizing the full potential of what we’ve created," Maizels said.

Apple’s senior vice president of hardware technologies, Johny Srouji, praised Q.ai as “a remarkable company that is pioneering new and creative ways to use imaging and machine learning.” He added, "We’re thrilled to acquire the company, with Aviad at the helm, and are even more excited for what’s to come.”

The deal marks another step in Apple’s expansion into artificial intelligence, particularly in audio, sensing, and human-computer interaction technologies.