Apple buys an A.I. start-up that came from Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen's research lab

Apple on Wednesday said it has acquired Xnor.ai, an artificial intelligence software start-up. The company has previously used acquisitions to expand its bench of AI talent, as have other technology companies like Alphabet, Facebook and Microsoft. These companies have all taken steps to enhance their own products with AI and offer tools to outside software developers. "Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans," the company told CNBC in an email. GeekWire first reported the news earlier on Wednesday, saying that the deal was worth up about $200 million.