In the 1990s, I did the time-consuming training so IBM's VoiceType could learn my voice and turn it into text. Last week I asked Alexa for the news, and she replied, "Here is your news, Simon". Alexa needs no training; she converses intelligently and recognises people. Speech recognition and Artificial Intelligence (AI) have come a long way.
That is why Microsoft plans to invest £13.3bn to buy Nuance Communications. This is the second-largest amount Microsoft has paid to acquire a company. Nuance, who acquired VoiceType and Dragon Dictate, is a specialist in artificial intelligence, speech recognition, and natural speech processing. Nuance services 77% of US hospitals.
Satya Nadella, Microsoft's CEO, believes "AI is technology's most important priority". Last year they launched Microsoft Cloud For Healthcare. Prioritising healthcare and AI, together with the enforced need for distanced medical consultations, make this a natural acquisition.
We all want our interactions with tech to be more accurate, timely, intelligent and human, particularly when our health is involved. Microsoft's Cloud for Healthcare is about engaging patients, improving healthcare collaboration and improving clinical analytics. Here is more on their model for building resilient health care.