Early last year Facebook took everyone by surprise by acquiring WhatsApp for a whopping $19 billion, and now it rings in yet another New Year surprise by acquiring voice recognition firm Wit.ai. However, there is no word on the pricing details yet.
Wit.ai makes voice recognition technology for wearable devices and Internet-connected appliances, clearly indicating that the company plans to extend its reach beyond computers and smartphones.
Though the company has declined to provide details on how it plans to use the technology or with which group within Facebook the Wit.ai team would work, it is quite clear where the company is heading with this acquisition.
Technology companies are now vying to bring Internet connectivity to new category of devices, be it wearables or connected homes. In the recent years, voice recognition has become a crucial aspect of the tech world. Be it Apple’s Siri, Microsoft’s Cortana or Google’s voice recognition tool, every tech
giant has been busy integrating voice recognition into its services and products.
Facebook definitely doesn’t want to lag behind in this race. It has been actively taking steps to ensure that it goes well beyond what it’s built for. For example, Facebook acquired Oculus that builds virtual reality headsets. The company is known to be testing waters with theOculus Rift and ensures it does not lag behind in this upcoming categories with competitors like Samsung’s Gear VR and veteran Google Glass.
In the voice recognition space too, looks like the company is all set to take on the likes of Siri that is considered to be the key building block for Apple’s new devices to earn mainstream consumer appeal.
How will Facebook integrate voice recognition? Well, for now, news has it that Facebook has started staffing up its Language Technology Group that is said to be working on voice-to-text input for the Facebook Messenger. Now this isn’t something new, and both Apple and Google have this feature. “Both are designed for humans talking to machines through rote voice commands for actions like search. Facebook may focus instead on being able to interpret the inflection and colloquialisms that humans use when talking to each other,” according to a report by Techcrunch.
Moreover, as we enter the age of wearables, voice commands will take centre stage, as it is more convenient to speak out a command rather than to type on the tiny screen. It is also known that Wit.ai makes voice recognition technology for wearable devices and Internet- connected appliances. Now with this acquisition, Facebook will be able to keep up with bigwigs like Apple and Google and also churn out its apps with voice recognition for wearables.
So, we can expect a new Facebook tool coming soon. However, nothing is concrete, yet. So far, Siri has been the most talked about voice recognition feature that Apple has been busy integrating within its other product categories. Let’s wait and watch, if Facebook is capable taking all the attention that Siri has been enjoying since its inception.
