APPLE
Apple just bought your camera’s brain
Apple is reportedly close to buying the team and technology of computer vision startup Prompt AI, according to CNBC.
The deal would bring most of Prompt’s 11-person team and its main product, Seemour, to Apple.
Seemour connects to home security cameras and uses AI to spot people, pets, or objects, then sends text alerts if something unusual happens.
The company plans to shut down the app, delete user data, and protect privacy once the deal is done.
Founded in 2023 by UC Berkeley researchers Tete Xiao and Trevor Darrell, Prompt AI raised $5 million in seed funding and was also approached by Elon Musk’s xAI and Neuralink.
CEO Xiao told staff the tech worked well, but the business model didn’t.
In short:
Prompt’s Seemour app used AI to detect people, pets, and objects through cameras.
Apple continues favouring smaller AI deals to avoid regulatory risks.
The acquisition could strengthen Apple’s HomeKit and computer vision tech.
Shhh… Apple’s plotting
Apple’s move fits its usual approach of small, quiet acquisitions, unlike Meta’s $14.3B investment in Scale AI or Google’s $2.4B Windsurf deal.
Though Apple has been slower in AI than rivals, it’s made real progress in computer vision, seen in the Vision Pro headset and iPhone photo recognition.
Prompt’s team is expected to join Apple’s HomeKit smart home division, boosting how Apple devices understand and respond to what’s happening around them.
Imagine your camera knowing the cat from the neighbour’s raccoon.