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Microsoft has acquired “conversational” AI firm Semantic Machines as it looks to improve the natural responses of its virtual assistant Cortana and other digital chatbots.
The technology giant said that while most virtual assistants of today could respond to basic commands and queries, the future of the tech was likely to lie in a more conversational approach.
Semantic Machines, which is based in Berkeley, California, uses machine learning to make bots respond in more natural ways to questions and make exchanges more conversational.
Microsoft’s chief technology officer of its AI and research wing, David Ku, said: “With the acquisition of Semantic Machines, we will establish a conversational AI centre of excellence in Berkeley to push forward the boundaries of what is possible in language interfaces.
“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. We’re excited to bring the Semantic Machines team and their technology to Microsoft.”
The acquisition comes at an interesting time for artificial intelligence, following on from Google’s recent unveiling of its Duplex technology, which allows the Google Assistant to call businesses on behalf of a user to make appointments.
It also uses conversational AI to mimic casual human speech and to make it sound more natural, but the first demo was met with a mixed response and raised questions about the ethics of computers imitating humans.
