Why Google bought Api.ai - a startup with Russian roots

Google bought a startup with Russian roots - Api.ai, which is a competitor of Siri voice assistant. The amount of the transaction and its conditions are not disclosed.



Api.ai helps its customers embed a voice interface into their applications. In the development of API implemented algorithms for machine learning. Therefore, the speech recognition engine is self-improving in the process.

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How will companies benefit from the deal?





Ilya Gelfenbein, Founder and CEO Api.ai



“Joining the project to Google will speed up the process of improving the platform and support our rapidly growing developer community ... Using the intellectual base, the Google infrastructure, we can be sure that you [users] get the best technologies and developments in the field of artificial intelligence and machine learning," says in the message Api.ai.



Google also needs the best AI technology in the world, so it buys startups in this area. Perhaps in this case, everything was just that. The search giant is actively working on its own assistant, Google Now, and recently announced a more advanced tool called Assistant.



Experts expressed their opinion about what happened.

Grigory Bakunov, director of technology distribution company Yandex:

Reference Story: Api.ai project purchased by Google. Let me remind you that this pivot of the Russian company Speaktoit, its CEO, Ilya Gelfenbein, understood in time that making a personal assistant less interesting than making engines for him, moved to California and launched API.ai there. Congratulations to Ilya and the whole team. The main thing that Google did not kill them there.

Andrey Sebrant - Yandex Marketing Services Director:

I can only join the Grishin commentary. It's like that. And once again demonstrates that there are no small and independent ones in the field of ML: you either develop solutions in Krupnyak, or adapt solutions of Krupny (open source or API) to fit your needs.

However, it is believed that such startups buy for the sake of employees: the cost of talents in such promising markets as AI, IoT, is $ 10 million for one specialist.



The user audience of Api.ai exceeds 20 million. API of this company is used by more than 60 thousand developers.



In August 2015, Api.ai raised $ 3 million. The round was headed by SAIC Capital, which is owned by the largest Chinese automaker SAIC Motor. Prior to that, Intel Capital, Alpine Technology Fund and Motorola Solutions Venture Capital invested in the project. During its existence, the company has attracted about $ 9 million investment.