First of all, Apple has purchased Emotient Inc., an artificial intelligence start-up. This is all part of a new neuromarketing wave that is driving industries toward deeper customer understanding.
One of the keys to Emotient's technology is being able to scan a person's face for emotions, but not store any personally identifiable information about them in the process.
"It's nearly impossible to figure out Apple's complete motives - even after an acquisition is made public, it tends to play its cards close to the vest", said Tuong Huy Nguyen, a principal research analyst with Gartner. The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed along with the reasons to acquire Emotient.
Apple wouldn't directly confirm the purchase, but emailed a statement that read, "Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our objective or plans". She declined to elaborate on the deal terms.
Previously, the company's technology was being used by various advertisers to judge the quality and effectiveness of specific ads.
It's unknown how Apple plans to use Emotient's technology. It uses facial expressions to gauge your emotional response or sentimental feeling towards what you see on-screen. Just a few months ago, Apple also acquired VocalIQ, another AI start-up that specializes in speech-recognition technology. This might mark an important feature as it can analyze emotions in an unfiltered manner for crowds. So, in the case of Emotient, millions upon millions of images and videos were likely fed to the network showing different emotions and facial expressions.
In October, Apple acquired Perceptio, a startup which developed technology that enables smartphones to use artificial intelligence without the need to share data with a company's servers, according to Bloomberg.
