{"id":311623,"date":"2026-01-30T14:00:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T14:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/311623\/"},"modified":"2026-01-30T14:00:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T14:00:08","slug":"apple-buys-secretive-ai-startup-that-allows-non-verbal-communication-with-chatbots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/311623\/","title":{"rendered":"Apple buys secretive AI startup that allows non-verbal communication with chatbots"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>    <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" alt=\"Apple acquired the Israeli startup Q.ai in an effort to boost its artificial intelligence offerings (Getty Images)\" loading=\"eager\" height=\"640\" width=\"960\" class=\"yf-lglytj loader\"\/> Apple acquired the Israeli startup Q.ai in an effort to boost its artificial intelligence offerings (Getty Images)      <\/p>\n<p class=\"yf-vbsvxt\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/topic\/apple\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Apple;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Apple<\/a> has acquired an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/topic\/artificial-intelligence\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:artificial intelligence;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">artificial intelligence<\/a> startup that creates technology to silently communicate with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/topic\/ai\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:AI;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">AI<\/a> chatbots through facial expressions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"yf-vbsvxt\">The $2billion deal to buy Tel Aviv-based Q.ai is the second biggest acquisition in Apple\u2019s history, with only the $3 billion takeover of Beats in 2014 being larger.<\/p>\n<p class=\"yf-vbsvxt\">It comes as the Cupertino company is preparing to make a major push towards catching up with tech rivals like Google, Meta and OpenAI through improved AI offerings.<\/p>\n<p class=\"yf-vbsvxt\">These plans include a <a href=\"https:\/\/uk.finance.yahoo.com\/news\/apple-unveil-ai-powered-siri-111306906.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:revamped Siri assistant;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">revamped Siri assistant<\/a> that is set to launch next month, as well as the integration of Google\u2019s market-leading Gemini AI into Apple Foundation Models.<\/p>\n<p class=\"yf-vbsvxt\">Apple is also reportedly working on <a href=\"https:\/\/uk.finance.yahoo.com\/news\/apple-working-wearable-ai-pin-103905050.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:a new AI wearable;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">a new AI wearable<\/a> that will include multiple cameras, microphones and a speaker \u2013 but no screen.<\/p>\n<p class=\"yf-vbsvxt\">The AI pin is rumoured to be the same size as an AirTag device and is designed to be worn on a user\u2019s body.<\/p>\n<p>    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" alt=\"An Apple AirTag pictured in Washington, DC on 13 February, 2023. A new AI device rumoured to be coming in 2026 will be roughly the same size as an AirTag (Brendan Smialowski\/ AFP via Getty Images)\" loading=\"lazy\" height=\"640\" width=\"960\" class=\"yf-lglytj loader\"\/> An Apple AirTag pictured in Washington, DC on 13 February, 2023. A new AI device rumoured to be coming in 2026 will be roughly the same size as an AirTag (Brendan Smialowski\/ AFP via Getty Images)      <\/p>\n<p class=\"yf-vbsvxt\">There is little public information about four-year-old Q.ai, with patents suggesting that its technology allows people to communicate with AI through \u201cfacial skin micro movements\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"yf-vbsvxt\">When the company was founded in 2022, Chief Technology Officer Yonatan Wexler hinted in a social media post about what the technology involved. \u201cI can\u2019t tell you anything yet about our product,\u201d he wrote, \u201cbut I bet it will leave you speechless.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"yf-vbsvxt\">The only text on Q.ai\u2019s website states: \u201cIn a world full of noise we craft a new kind of quiet. Magic. Realised.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"yf-vbsvxt\">The startup\u2019s silent communication technology can be embedded in headphones or smart glasses, according to the patent filings, though it could potentially be used in other types of wearables.<\/p>\n<p class=\"yf-vbsvxt\">ChatGPT creator OpenAI is also working on an AI-powered wearable, having acquired a startup led by former iPhone designer Jony Ive.<\/p>\n<p class=\"yf-vbsvxt\">Few details about the product have been shared, though CEO Sam Altman claims it will be \u201cthe coolest piece of technology that the world will have ever seen\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"yf-vbsvxt\">It is expected to launch at some point in 2026, while Apple\u2019s AI pin is not likely to arrive before 2027.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Apple acquired the Israeli startup Q.ai in an effort to boost its artificial intelligence offerings (Getty Images) Apple&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":311624,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[74],"tags":[311,289,152185,152184,18,48730,823,19,17,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-311623","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-technology","8":"tag-apple","9":"tag-artificial-intelligence","10":"tag-communication-technology","11":"tag-cupertino-company","12":"tag-eire","13":"tag-facial-expressions","14":"tag-google","15":"tag-ie","16":"tag-ireland","17":"tag-technology"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/115984415090472937","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/311623","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=311623"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/311623\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/311624"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=311623"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=311623"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=311623"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}