Apple Acquires Facial Expression Analysis Startup Emotient

Apple has purchased artificial intelligence startup Emotient, reports The Wall Street Journal. According to its website, Emotient uses artificial intelligence to read emotion through the analysis of facial expressions.

Emotient's technology was previously used by advertisers to determine emotional reactions to advertisements. It let advertisers know whether an ad was getting noticed, how people responded, and whether a reaction was positive or negative. The technology used cameras to capture video that was then analyzed to "learn about the customer's state of mind."

emotient

Emotient is the leader in emotion detection and sentiment analysis, part of a neuromarketing wave that is driving a quantum leap in customer understanding. Our services quantify emotional response, leading to insights and actions that improves your products and how you market them.

An Apple spokesperson confirmed the acquisition to The Wall Street Journal with its standard acquisition statement: "Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans."


It isn't known what Apple will do with Emotient's technology, but the company has made two other semi-related acquisitions in recent months. In October, Apple purchased Perceptio, a startup focused on deep learning and image-recognition systems, and in September, Apple acquired real-time motion capture firm Faceshift, a company that worked on technology to capture facial expressions using 3D sensors.

Related Roundup: Apple Vision Pro
Buyer's Guide: Vision Pro (Neutral)
Related Forum: Apple Vision Pro

Popular Stories

iCloud General Feature Redux

iPhone Users Who Pay for iCloud Storage Receive a New Perk

Thursday March 20, 2025 12:01 am PDT by
If you pay for iCloud storage on your iPhone, Apple has a new perk for you, at no additional cost. The new perk is the ability to create invitations in the Apple Invites app for the iPhone, which launched in the App Store last month. In the Apple Invites app, iCloud+ subscribers can create invitations for any occasion, such as birthday parties, graduations, baby showers, and more. Anyone ...
Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock

iOS 19 Coming in June With These New Features

Thursday March 20, 2025 2:04 pm PDT by
While the first iOS 19 beta is still more than two months away, there are already plenty of rumors about the upcoming software update. Below, we recap the key iOS 19 rumors so far. visionOS-Like Design In January, the YouTube channel Front Page Tech revealed a redesigned Camera app that is allegedly planned for iOS 19. According to Front Page Tech host Jon Prosser, the Camera app...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro teal 1

Apple Says iPhone Driver's Licenses Coming to These 8 U.S. States, But Rollout Remains Slow

Wednesday March 19, 2025 6:55 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly. It has been three and a half years since Apple first announced the...
Windows Vista

Apple Might Be Having Its Windows Vista Moment, Says Analyst

Thursday March 20, 2025 6:52 am PDT by
Is Apple experiencing a "Vista-like drift into systemically poor execution?" That was a question posed by well-known technology analyst Benedict Evans, in a recent blog post covering Apple's innovation and execution, or seemingly lack thereof as of late. He is referring to Microsoft's Windows Vista operating system, which was widely criticized when it launched in 2007 due to software bugs,...
iPhone 17 Pro Render Front Page Tech

Latest iPhone 17 Pro Dummies Highlight Apple's New Part-Glass Design

Thursday March 20, 2025 5:27 am PDT by
Seasoned leaker Sonny Dickson has shared more dummy models of Apple's upcoming iPhone 17 series, with the latest lot revealing a noticeable shift in Apple's iPhone Pro model design that goes beyond the much-talked-about new rear camera bar. Dickson points out that the iPhone 17 Pro dummy models feature an outlined area on the back, beginning just below the camera module and extending to the...
iOS 18

Top 5 New Features Coming in iOS 18.4

Friday March 21, 2025 3:26 pm PDT by
We're not getting new Siri Apple Intelligence features in iOS 18.4 as expected, but the upcoming update does have quite a few new additions that will be worth upgrading for. We've rounded up the five best features to look forward to, and if you're not running the beta, you can expect to get access to these in early April. Priority Notifications If you have an iPhone or iPad that supports...
airtag orange

Apple's Next Product is Likely an AirTag 2 With These New Features

Thursday March 20, 2025 2:30 pm PDT by
Following the introduction of the iPhone 16e, new iPads and Macs, and some new accessories over the past month, what will Apple's next product announcement be? Based on rumors, a second-generation AirTag item tracker is likely next up. Last year, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that a new AirTag would be released around the middle of 2025. More recently, a leaker known as Kosutami claimed...
airpods pro 2 gradient

AirPods Pro 3 Launch Now Just Months Away: Here's What We Know

Tuesday March 18, 2025 9:13 am PDT by
Despite being released over two years ago, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 continue to dominate the wireless earbud market. However, with the AirPods Pro 3 expected to launch in 2025, anyone thinking of buying Apple's premium earbuds may be wondering if the next generation is worth holding out for. Apart from their audio and noise-canceling performance, which are generally regarded as excellent for...
iPhone 17 Air Fanned Feature

First iPhone 17 Air Case Has Camera Bar, Camera Control Button Cutouts

Wednesday March 19, 2025 5:29 am PDT by
Serial leaker Sonny Dickson today shared an image of what he claims is a first look at a third-party case for Apple's iPhone 17 Air. "If you didn’t know an Air was coming, you'd swear it was a Google Pixel case," he said. Case manufacturers often obtain design specifications of upcoming iPhone models before their release by collaborating with Apple through official partnerships or...

Top Rated Comments

Zirel Avatar
120 months ago
What for? People now talk through Kimoji (Kim Kardashian's Emoji App).

Some people reading this:

Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mr. Donahue Avatar
120 months ago
Stuff like this worries me. I'm going to put a black piece of tape over my front facing camera.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Thunderbird Avatar
120 months ago
How does this interpret a resting bitch face?
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JohnApples Avatar
120 months ago
They're going to use this at the iPhone 7 reveal to detect the crowd's reaction to the 16GB entry-level model.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BornAgainMac Avatar
120 months ago
My iphone can sense my disappointment with Apple on things like the long refreshes of the Mac Pro and Mac Mini when she asks what's wrong.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rrm74001 Avatar
120 months ago
Cook better start practicing his sad face, he will need it when he is fired soon

Under the guidance of Tim Cook, Apple had another record year, generating $233.7 billion in sales, an increase of 28 percent over 2014 and a new high for the company.
Reference: https://www.macrumors.com/2016/01/06/apple-ceo-tim-cook-2015-salary

Tim isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)