Here’s How Microsoft’s SwiftKey Acquisition Could Enhance The Firm’s AI Efforts

“In this cloud-first, mobile-first world, SwiftKey’s technology aligns with our vision for more personal computing experiences that anticipates our needs versus responding to our commands, and directly supports our ambition to reinvent productivity by leveraging the intelligent cloud”, said Shum in the Microsoft communication.

Scientists call this machine learning, and under Microsoft, SwiftKey’s technology stands to spread into practically every product the Redmond, Wash., company owns.

It also has a “swipe to type” feature which lets users drag their finger over the letters on the keyboard to form sentences, rather than by more conventional tapping.

Microsoft is soon set to launch their own keyboard app for iOS – it now seems likely this will use some of SwiftKey’s technology.

Swiftkey is just the latest app company to purchased by Microsoft. Microsoft reiterates its position by saying that this is a great example of Microsoft’s commitment to bringing its software and services to all platforms and that they will continue to develop SwiftKey’s market-leading keyboard apps for Android and iOS as well as explore scenarios for the integration of the core technology across the breadth of Microsoft’s product and services portfolio.

The Financial Times reports the deal is worth $250m (£174m).

SwiftKey is the developer behind wildly popular keyboard apps for Android and iOS, and news of Microsoft’s acquisition stirred some concerns that the SwiftKey Keyboard app for iOS and Android would soon see its demise.

As well as the popular smartphone app, SwiftKey is known for being behind the computer software on Prof Stephen Hawking’s wheelchair. According to BBC, the Windows company has managed to acquire the UK-based artificial intelligence company SwiftKey. Swiftkey’s team will join Microsoft Research to work under the division’s chief Harry Shum.

DeepMind was bought by Google for £400 million in 2014 while speech technology startup VocalIQ was bought by Apple in October 2015, for a sum rumoured to be up to $100 million (£68 million).

It appears that Microsoft fully realizes the enormous importance and disruptive potential of advanced AI.

This is all taking place against the backdrop of a wider race to design the world’s best artificial intelligence. The long term impact on Microsoft stock is likely to be positive.