A tweet from CNBC (and a report from The Wall Street Journal) indicates Apple has purchased Emotient, a service that gauges your emotional response to things like videos. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Emotient’s stated focus is revenue growth based on customer satisfaction. It uses facial expressions to gauge your emotional response or sentimental feeling towards what you see on-screen.
Apple buys artificial-intelligence startup Emotient , no price given for deal – Dow Jones
— CNBC Now (@CNBCnow) January 7, 2016
Previously, Emotient was tested on Google Glass as a way to know how people around you may be feeling. The front-facing camera on glass was used to capture faces, while a quick bit of info was displayed on the small screen to let you know if people were happy, mad — or just plain annoyed.
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It’s not immediately clear why Apple may buy Emotient, but its service could be handy in several areas. Emotient could be handy in TestFlight for beta testing apps, or it could find a home directly in iAd, Apple’s in-house advertising system.
Of course, it could be a straight-up ‘acquihire’ for talent, too.
➤ CNBC [Twitter]
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