Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Cisco to acquire BabbleLabs - AI-powered voice enhancement

Cisco agreed to acquire BabbleLabs, a start-up headquartered in Campbell, California that uses AI techniques to distinguish human speech from unwanted noise. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The BabbleLabs technology can be used to enhance the quality of communications and conferencing applications. BabbleLabs goes beyond existing noise suppression technology solutions by:

  • Distinguishing speech from background noise;
  • Removing background noise in real-time; and
  • Enhancing the voice to elevate communication, regardless of language.
BabbleLabs team will join the Cisco Collaboration Group, led by Javed Khan, senior vice president and general manager, which is part of the Cisco Security and Applications Business, led by Jeetu Patel.

Initially, Cisco will focus on integrating BabbleLabs to deliver a best-in-class audio experience to Webex Meetings users.  - wherever they are and however they connect via the Webex application (whether via a conference room or mobile device).

“A great meeting experience starts with great audio,” said Jeetu Patel, senior vice president and general manager, Cisco Security and Applications Business Unit. “We’re thrilled to welcome BabbleLabs’ team of highly skilled engineers. Their technology is going to provide our customers with yet another important innovation – automatically removing unwanted noise - to continue enabling exceptional Webex meeting experiences.”