Microsoft acquires Semantic Machines to bolster 'conversational AI' efforts

Microsoft has acquired Semantic Machines, a "conversational AI" startup in Berkley, Calif., to further its work in building machines that can converse naturally with humans. Semantic aims to advance the state of voice-based AI, like virtual assistants Alexa, Siri, Cortana and others, from understanding and responding to commands to being able to have compete conversations. The company is led by accomplished startup entrepreneurs, a former chief speech scientist for Apple's Siri and leading AI researchers and professors from Stanford and University of California Berkley. With the acquisition, Microsoft will set up a "center of excellence" focused on pushing "forward the boundaries of what is possible in language interfaces," David Ku, corporate vice president and chief technology officer of Microsoft AI & Research, wrote in a blog post announcing the acquisition. "Combining Semantic Machines' technology with Microsoft's own AI advances, we aim to deliver powerful, natural and more productive user experiences that will take conversational computing to a new level," Ku wrote.