New technology obtained from Apple’s acquisition of VocalIQ last year is poised to drastically improve Siri’s search capabilities, Business Insider reports. One unnamed source said VocalIQ’s AI was able to answer complex questions like, “Find a nearby Chinese restaurant with open parking and Wi-Fi that’s kid-friendly,” 90 percent of the time, greatly improving on the 20 percent averaged by Google Now, Siri and Cortana.
What’s more, VocalIQ’s AI remembers context forever.
With the example listed above, saying, “Find me a Mexican restaurant instead,” will change the style of restaurant while still remembering the parking and Wi-Fi parameters mentioned in the first request. VocalIQ was previously working on automotive applications for it’s technology, and the AI’s proficiency is expected to be most useful in the car, where eliminating the need to look at a screen for confirmation is of paramount importance.
Apple declined to comment, so how and when VocalIQ’s improvements will make their way into Siri is still an open question.
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