WhatsApp owner, Facebook Inc, is now the new owners of a StartUp that specializes with voice recognition technology for devices to allow users to talk to their mobile devices.
The 18-month Startup, called Wit.ai, focuses on building technology that is meant to understand voice commands as well as texts phrased in the natural language and allows users to speak to their machines and establish communication with the devices.
Wit.ai operates on an open-source platform, allowing its over 6000 developers to use the technology in the development of their apps and later communicate its feedback to the company for improvements and advancements.
Following the acquisition, the company will remain open and free to allow more developers use the technology but it is not clear the motive Facebook has in the deal, except for providing support to the developers associated with the firm.
The move comes at a time when technology companies are investing hard to bring internet connection to various devices and house appliances that include watches, rings, washing machines and even fridges.
Facebook may be gearing to become part of a larger tech space where users will be able to access and use voice technology on the networking site from a wider range of devices going beyond the normal PCs, tablets, smartphones or the recent smartwatches.
Last year the social networking company acquired a virtual reality Startup company that concentrates on games, dubbed Oculus. It was not clear at the time why Facebook acquired the company for just over 2 Billion Dollars but CEO Mark Zuckerberg said it was for a long term project for the social networking space.
“At this point we feel we’re in a position where we can start focusing on what platforms will come next to enable even more useful, entertaining and personal experiences,” said Zuckerberg in an update at the time.
He continued to state that Oculus had become a leader in something that would become one of the next most important computing platforms with its virtual reality technology, which could be incorporated in various platforms.
This new move to acquire voice technology company, Wit.ai, may just be another page turned by Facebook from the same book as that of Oculus to secure a future that is now just a dream.
“Virtual reality was once the dream of science fiction. But the Internet was also once a dream, and so were computers and smartphones. The future is coming and we have a chance to build it together,” said Zuckerberg commenting on the Oculus acquisition last year.
There are no details about the Wit.ai acquisition detail yet, but Facebook could have the same idea for the voice company, if it was not just for Zuckerberg’s charitable deeds to help out developers.
