Skip to main content

Apple’s new acquisition is a startup that uses AI to read facial expressions

apple emotient ai acquisition appleparttwo
CBS
Apple is following in the footsteps of Google and Facebook by jumping on the facial recognition technology bandwagon. Unlike those two web giants, though, Apple has resisted creating its own tech, and instead is using its buying power to snap up an AI startup that has already developed expertise in this field.

Emotient, which describes itself as “the leader in emotion detection and sentiment analysis based on facial expressions,” understands how to harness the power of its AI in regards to consumer behavior. In the past, Emotient has sold its tech to advertisers, allowing them to analyze how customers reacted to their ads. The startup claims that retailers have also used it to monitor how shoppers respond to their in-store products.

The financials behind the deal, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, remain undisclosed, as does Apple’s intentions for the AI. Breaking down the workings of the tech may help glean an understanding of where Apple could utilize it. Using vast, powerful networks of hardware and software known as deep neural networks, facial recognition AI can learn to approximate human emotions if fed enough data. For example, the AI can learn to understand when a person is happy if it has viewed enough photos of the individual.

Sound a little scary? Well, worry not; you’ve probably been exposed to it online at some stage. Facebook’s AI tech — built upon a staggering eight graphic-processing-unit (GPU) boards, each carrying dozens of GPU chips — is currently being used to identify faces in user photos, to curate its news feed, and in its upcoming digital assistant “M.”

Having recently acquired speech recognition startup VocalIQ, Apple may be seeking to bring more precise recognition features to its own personal assistant; “Siri.” Or perhaps it will use Emotient to add facial recognition to its “Photos” Mac app, in order to recognize facial features as part of the organization process.

Editors' Recommendations

Saqib Shah
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Saqib Shah is a Twitter addict and film fan with an obsessive interest in pop culture trends. In his spare time he can be…
Apple’s Mac chips could soon use a 3nm process for even better performance
The screen of the 2021 MacBook Pro.

Apple’s latest Mac chips -- the M1 Pro and M1 Max inside the new MacBook Pro -- are based on a 5nm manufacturing process. While that helps give them some pretty exceptional performance for the power required, it could soon be usurped by a 3nm process offering even better output.

Citing unnamed sources, DigiTimes claims that chip manufacturer TSMC has begun testing the production of N3 nodes to be used in future chip production. These nodes will be manufactured on a 3nm process, meaning greater transistor density and, in all likelihood, improved performance over existing chips.

Read more
Best OLED monitor deals: Get an OLED screen from just $450
Marvel's Spider-Man running on the Samsung Odyssey OLED G8.

Shopping some of the best monitor deals is a good way to save on some extra screen real estate, but if you’re looking for something that can produce a stunning image you should turn your shopping cart toward the OLED monitors. OLED is one of the best picture technologies currently available, and it can create a lifelike image that makes interacting with games, presentations, and creative work much more immersive. The best OLED monitors can run pretty expensive, but that’s what OLED monitor deals are for. If you’re looking for superior picture quality and some ways to save, read onward for more details on the best OLED monitor deals taking place right now.
ViewSonic 15.6-inch VX1655 4K OLED portable monitor — $450, was $500

Getting into the OLED game can be both affordable and portable with the ViewSonic VX1655. It’s a 4K OLED display that’s made to function as either a laptop extension or something to pair with a tablet. It comes in at a super sharp 4K resolution and a refresh rate of 60Hz. This isn’t something you’d want to pair with a gaming PC, but it’s a great little display to keep with you if you do creative work on the run or want some extra screen real estate while working on a tablet at your desk.

Read more
Best monitor deals: Gaming, office, curved, OLED and more
Dell UltraSharp 27 4K PremierColor Monitor

Whether you prefer to work at one of the best desktop computers, the best laptops, or anything in between, an external monitor can be helpful to add some extra screen real estate. One of the best monitors can even go a long way toward reducing eye strain and creating an immersive digital or gaming experience. While high end monitors can get quite expensive, there are always some impressive monitor deals to shop, and we’ve tracked them all down. Reading onward you’ll find what we feel are the best monitor deals, whether you’re shopping for 4K monitors, gaming monitors, ultrawide monitors, or more general monitors meant for all-purpose users.
Best monitor deals

The following deals represent a best-of of the deals below. They're selected to give a mixture of prices, styles, and levels of discount. If you don't see something you like, don't worry, as the following sections will have plenty more deals for you to choose from. However, this is a highly recommended place to start:

Read more