Microsoft Completes Acquisition of Nuance for AI

REDMOND, Wash. — The conversational artificial intelligence (AI) company Nuance Communications is officially part of Microsoft.

Microsoft completed its acquisition of Nuance to accelerate its vision to offer “outcomes-based” AI solutions that are cloud-based and industry-specific, according to Microsoft this month.

Nuance also develops ambient intelligence solutions and serves multiple industries, including health care, retail, and financial services.

Mark Benjamin will remain CEO of Nuance. He will report to Microsoft Cloud + AI EVP Scott Guthrie.

Microsoft intends for their joint cloud-based AI solutions to help clients “meet business goals” and address their “most pressing needs.”

Microsoft plans to use AI technology from Nuance to help clients enhance consumer, clinician, and employee experiences as well as improve productivity and financial performance.

The company expects to help clients scale by offering the AI to those end users “when or where they need them.”

For instance, a health care provider could use conversational AI to reduce clinician burnout and enhance early detection and treatment of disease. Other sectors could create personalized customer experiences and support employees’ productivity and well-being.

Guthrie said the “significant and strategic acquisition” help providers “offer more affordable, effective, and accessible health care” and organizations in every industry.

Benjamin said combining the power of Nuance’s “deep vertical expertise and proven business outcomes” with Microsoft’s global cloud ecosystems will “enable us to accelerate our innovation and deploy our solutions more quickly, more seamlessly, and at greater scale.”

“We are excited about the opportunities ahead for our technology, employees, customers and partners,” Benjamin said.