Adobe acquires Sayspring voice platform startup to bolster its virtual assistant efforts

Adobe has today announced the acquisition of Sayspring, a New York-based startup that aims to make it easier for everyone to build voice-based apps that integrate with virtual assistants such as Alexa and Google Assistant.

Adobe made the announcement in a blog post, calling the acquisition of Sayspring the “next step forward” for its voice interface efforts. The company isn’t sharing financial details of the deal, but says that the full Sayspring team will join Adobe, working to integrate the technology into the Adobe suite of products.

Adobe executive vice president and CTO Abhay Parasnis touted the importance of Sayspring’s voice technology in a statement today:

“We’re moving beyond the keyboard and mouse and even our touch screens to using something that is even more natural — our voice — to interact with technology. Voice tech is growing fast, and we strongly believe it must become an integral part of Adobe’s portfolio moving forward.”

“We’re excited to welcome Sayspring to Adobe, and we’re looking forward to putting the technology to work to empower more people to create next-generation voice experiences.”

For those unaware, Adobe has been testing the waters when it comes to bringing voice control to its applications. At its Adobe MAX keynote last year, the company previewed prototype versions of Photoshop and XD powered by Adobe Sensei. Adobe says it plans to turn Sensei into a creative assistant, adding voice recognition capabilities into its various applications.

Sayspring was founded just last year, touting its goal of helping creators work with voice technology, but without the need for coding experience:

Since we first launched about a year ago, our team has been on a mission to provide creators with the tools they need to work with voice technology, no coding required. This aligns tightly with Adobe’s vision to give everyone – from emerging artists to global brands – everything they need to design and deliver exceptional digital experiences.

You can read more about the acquisition on Adobe’s blog as well as Sayspring’s website.

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