Apple has acquired “dark data” company Lattice Data for around $200 million, TechCrunch reports. Founded in 2015, the company has produced its own AI-enabled inference engine to convert unstructured “dark data” into more structured and usable information. A source claims Apple closed the deal a couple of weeks ago, adding around 20 of the company’s engineers to its ranks. Apple confirmed the acquisition with its usual blanket statement, but gave no indication of how the technology would be used. The company has boosted its research into AI, with CEO Tim Cook sharing his hopes that the technology will transform the way people use their phones “in ways that most people don’t even think about.” The company recently joined the Partnership on AI and began allowing employees to publish their AI research.
