As we know, Siri in iOS 9 is now getting smarter than
before. But Apple never stops to improve it and starts to glance at the other
potentials. In fact, Tim Cook and his team recently have acquired a startup
that could enhance the performance of Siri.
The startup is VocalIQ which works in artificial
intelligence (AI) specifically for natural language processing. Apple itself
doesn't reveal the exact goal about embracing the intellectual assets of
VocalIQ, but at least we can assume through the technology description given in
VocalIQ site.
Overall, VocalIQ’s experiences in the natural language
processing can make Siri much more intelligent in understanding the voice
instructions from the users. Simply put, the technology of VocalIQ can help
Siri become more 'humane'.
But to reach that point, the ability to hear and process the
information seems not enough. Clarification is also needed to avoid the misunderstanding,
that’s why VocalIQy reportedly will provide an ability to ask back when the
instruction received is considered not clear.
Overall, the advantages of VocalIQ technology can certainly
give a big impact on the future development of Siri. Siri itself has now turned
into a more proactive and contextual, and it certainly would be improved by the
presence VocalIQ.
At the end the VocalIQ has an interesting mission, they want
a virtual assistant that can learn how to talk to the users, not the other way
around.