Google Acquires API.AI
Google announced its purchase of API.ai, a company that helps developers build conversational bots by providing the tools they need like speech and intent recognition software. The company has processed over 3 billion API requests and according to CrunchBase, had previously raised $8.6 million from SAIC Ventures, Motorola Solutions Venture Capital, and Alpine Technology Ventures.
The timing of this acquisition comes just prior to the expected public launch of Google Assistant and Google Home smart speaker. API.ai supports 15 languages today and over 60,000 developers have used the toolset to build conversational bots according to Google.
API.ai Changes Name to Dialogflow, Adds Support for 15 Languages
