CB insights has published a list with the acquisitions that the major internet / technology companies (Apple, Google Facebook etc. ) are making in the Artificial Intelligence arena.

It is interesting to note that the most of the acquisitions are focused on various forms of recognition (image, text, voice, language…). However, some of them are focused on self-learning/ machine learning. These two factors together may point to an interest in lifting the capabilities of the internet giants within Chatbots. Their ambition is probably to achieve a natural language interaction with the user, bypassing or complementing the keyboard. Tony Stark’s JARVIS assistant may be around the corner. The combination Amazon Echo + Alexa is probably just a taste of the immediate future to come.