Apple has apparently acquired/hired the staff of Init.ai, a small, six person startup known for its customer service automation software.
Init.ai’s product is described as the following:
…a smart assistant for customer representatives to parse and get better insights from their interactions with users, as well as automate some of the interactions…
It’s been stated that there was no intellectual property included in the deal, but was instead about bringing the Init.ai team to Apple to work on Siri.
Back at WWDC this past summer, Apple announced a new feature for iOS 11 called Business Chat.
The Business Chat feature is thought to be Apple’s way of competing with Facebook and Twitter by making it more efficient for customers to communicate with brands. Apple is said to be working to incorporate this integration into Siri, Spotlight, Safari, and Maps will help it attract users.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via 9to5Mac, TechCrunch and Init.ai