Microsoft acquires research-oriented deep learning startup Maluuba

Microsoft today announced that it has acquired Maluuba, a research-oriented startup focusing on deep learning, a type of artificial intelligence (AI). As part of the deal, one of Maluuba's advisors, deep learning luminary Yoshua Bengio, will advise Microsoft. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed. Microsoft will announce what it's planning to do with Maluuba in the next few months, Harry Shum, executive vice president of Microsoft's recently formed artificial intelligence and research group, wrote in a blog post. "Maluuba's expertise in deep learning and reinforcement learning for question-answering and decision-making systems will help us advance our strategy to democratize AI and to make it accessible and valuable to everyone -- consumers, businesses and developers," Shum wrote.