While Xnor.ai was best known for its ability to detect people in smart phone streams, Macworld suggests that Apple's primary motivation for buying the company would have been to make Siri smarter.
The most obvious reason for Apple's acquisition of Xnor.ai was the improved detection of people in HomeKit Secure Video. But as I noticed then, the company's technology has broader applications ...
The greatest focus is on machine learning tools and image recognition that can work on low-energy devices, rather than relying on cloud infrastructure [...]
Xnor․ai has built a "self-serve" platform that has facilitated the use of code developers and artificial intelligence data in their applications [...]
The focus of the Xnor․ai AI on the device was probably of particular interest to Apple, given its privacy-focused approach to machine learning and artificial intelligence.
Macworld Michael Simon suggests that Apple's main interest would be to use AI on the company's device to make Siri smarter.
Using something called Edge AI, Xnor.ai was able to process its algorithm engine on the camera itself, which meant that it didn't need to send images to a distant cloud.
This comes down to Apple's main argument for privacy. I have long suspected that the reason why Siri remains Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa is that Apple does not collect the same type of information that those companies do and therefore is at a disadvantage [...]
By integrating Edge AI into Apple's own chip, Neural Engine or a new processor, Siri could be faster and more capable, learning from what you do and prioritizing tasks in nature. And everything could work offline, harnessing the immense power of Apple's on-chip system and doing the work of a powerful cloud right on the device.
Doing Siri processing on your device might be much smarter, says Simon.
You might know what application we are in and respond accordingly. So, if we were in Photos, we could say, "Share this with my wife" and there would be no need for further clarification Or if we read a news article in Safari, we could say: "Tell me more about this "And would do the appropriate search.
It is a speculative piece, but the argument makes sense, and it is not impossible for Simon to have a source outside the Xnor.ai register that points him in this direction.
I think Apple has made the right decision with Siri, prioritizing privacy over smartphones, and I've also noticed that rival devices aren't as smart as they seem. But Siri's smart growth through device processing would certainly be a very welcome development.
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