VocalIQ

01 / WHAT IT BUILT

What the company did

VocalIQ was a Cambridge, UK-based conversational AI startup spun out of the University of Cambridge's Spoken Dialogue Systems Group in 2011. It built a self-learning dialogue API that let computers hold more natural, context-aware conversations with people, combining speech recognition, language understanding, dialogue design and speech synthesis. Its technology was aimed at smartphones, in-car systems, call centres, robots and games, and it had worked on in-car voice projects including a collaboration with General Motors.

03 / EVENT HISTORY

Events in the structured record

1. 2011
   Founded

   VocalIQ is spun out of the University of Cambridge's Spoken Dialogue Systems Group to commercialize adaptive, learning-based spoken dialogue technology.

2. 2014
   In-car voice focus

   The company develops its self-learning dialogue API and focuses on in-car applications, including a collaboration with General Motors on voice-controlled automotive systems.

3. 2015
   Acquired by Apple

   Apple confirms to the Financial Times that it has acquired VocalIQ. The move is widely seen as a strategic effort to make Siri more conversational and to support Apple's automotive ambitions.