Apple Adds Startup ‘Turi’ To AI Arsenal, Pays $200M Sources Say

Apple has been lagging in the machine-learning industry for years thanks to disastrous decisions it has made in the past, and this has had a significant impact on their Siri smart assistance service. Trying to play catch-up, the iPhone maker just paid $200 million to acquire the Seattle-based artificial intelligence startup called “Turi.”

Geekwire broke the story of Apple’s acquisition of “Turi” first, citing reliable sources who are familiar with the issue. Formerly known as “GraphLab” and “Dato” after that, “Turi” is a startup company that specializes in producing software that can gather a significant amount of data, analyze it and advise users appropriately. The site actually reached out to Apple to ask about their plans for their newly-bought asset.

“Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans,” Apple told Geekwire.

Despite the rather noncommittal response by the tech company, many are already speculating as to what the acquisition of “Turi” could mean for Apple. SeekingAlpha posted an in-depth analysis of how “Turi’s” machine-learning offering could significantly improve the iPhone maker’s standing in the field of AI, which Google and Facebook are dominating at the moment. Among the areas that could stand to gain much from the incorporation of “Turi” to the larger Apple cauldron include “Siri’s” keyword recognition as well as more intelligent recommendations.

The “Turi” team will be staying at Seattle, the sources say, which could significantly boost the presence of the California-based company in the region. An interesting contrast between “Turi” and Apple is their approach in terms of how technology should be handled.

“Turi” has held an open-source conference in the past while Apple is notorious for keeping its research and technology a secret. As such, it would be interesting to see just how both companies will change now that they have been lumped together.