Apple Pays Two Billion Dollars to Acquire an Israeli Startup.. What's the Story?

SadaNews - The American company Apple has officially confirmed its acquisition of the startup "Q.ai" based in Tel Aviv, with the deal valued at approximately two billion dollars, making it the second-largest acquisition in Apple's history after the "Beats" deal in 2014.

What makes this deal particularly interesting in the halls of "Silicon Valley" is the identity of the founder, as the company is led by Israeli engineer Aviad Meizes, whose previous company, "PrimeSense," was acquired by Apple in 2013 for 360 million dollars.

"PrimeSense" is the company that developed the three-dimensional sensing technology that later became the cornerstone of the "Face ID" feature in Apple devices.

Interestingly, Meizes and his team of a hundred, most of whom are graduates of elite Israeli intelligence units, will join Apple's hardware and artificial intelligence sector under the supervision of Apple's Senior Vice President of Hardware Technologies, Johny Srouji, which may raise numerous questions concerning privacy.

Silent Speech Technology

The "Q.ai" company has been operating in "Stealth Mode" since its establishment in 2022, developing technologies that go beyond traditional audio processing to reach what is known as "bio-physical intelligence".

The company's core technology relies on using computer vision sensors and machine learning to detect "microscopic movements of facial muscles and skin". These movements, which may not be visible to the human eye, allow the system to understand the words that the user "speaks" internally or whispers without producing audible sound. According to registered patents, this technology is capable of:

Decoding silent speech: Converting mouth and jaw movements into text commands with astonishing accuracy.

Absolute noise isolation: Completely separating the user's voice from ambient noise by matching voice data with live facial movements.

Biometric and emotional indicators: Monitoring the heart rate, respiratory rate, and even the user's mood merely by "looking" at the expressions on their face while talking.

Why Does Apple Need to Acquire the Israeli Company?

Apple is facing fierce competition from "Meta" in the smart glasses market and "Google" in integrating artificial intelligence with "Android". For this reason, analysts believe that the company is technically planning to integrate "Q.ai" technologies on three main fronts:

"AirPods": To transform them from merely a sound transmission tool into a secret communication device that allows users to talk to "Siri" in public without embarrassment.

"Vision Pro" glasses: To enable the digital avatar to accurately mimic the user's true emotions with unprecedented human-like precision.

Apple's ring and watch: To use the technology as a control interface based on biometric gestures instead of small screens.

Economic and Political Dimensions

It is well known that Israel is a strategic center for research and development (R&D) operations for Apple outside the United States, where the company has invested billions over the past decade through direct acquisitions and the expansion of its engineering centers.

In the context of the recent deal, Apple CEO Tim Cook stated in a brief comment that the company "is always looking for acquisitions that accelerate its product roadmap", confirming that "Q.ai" technologies will be an integral part of the future vision of "Apple Intelligence".

However, with the ability to read facial movements and analyze emotions, significant questions arise about privacy. Will Apple devices become capable of knowing what we want to say before we say it?

Apple assures, as always, that all processing will be done on-device to ensure the highest levels of security, but the integration of advanced Israeli technology into the minutiae of daily life will remain a topic of discussion in legal and technical circles for years to come.