Google buys startup biz, slurps up its NLP brains

Google have snapped up API.AI, a Silicon Valley startup specialising in building tools for natural language understanding in mobiles, web applications and devices. The details of the financial transaction have not been disclosed. Launched in 2014, API.AI quickly recognised the growing trend in companies interested in giving their technology a voice. "We've been constantly impressed by the fast and energetic adoption of the technology from people building conversational interfaces for chatbots, connected cars, smart home devices, mobile applications, wearables, services, robots and more," Ilya Gelfenbeyn, CEO of API.AI, said. The company's API works in three steps.