Nokia has announced over HERE blog that Desti, a spin-off from the team behind popular SIRI has been added to HERE.
At HERE, we see maps as answers to the questions that people have throughout their day. With Desti’s technology, we want to make those answers even more personal.
Desti helps travelers find exactly what they’re looking for using artificial intelligence and natural language processing technology. It’s a spin-off from SRI International, the same research and innovation center that produced Siri and Nuance.
As per the info shared, Desti works like a location assistant and uses artificial intelligence and natural language processing to understand the destinations completely and in a humane manner.
Unlike traditional search engines, which index keywords, Desti analyzes the context around the questions people are asking, looking for meaning and intent by aiming to create a natural dialogue with them. The search results are therefore more relevant because they naturally take into account people’s preferences. They are not the same for everyone and people don’t have to then pick through the results — a tedious process we would all be happy to avoid.
Nokia also emphasizes “Desti’s humanized approach to search” as the reason behind it taking a liking to Desti’s technology.
“At HERE we match people with the places that matter to them, so that they feel like a local wherever they are,” said Don Zereski, HERE VP of Search and Places. “We want to create a new class of location services that implicitly understands who you are and what you’re looking for, sometimes even before you ask.”
Though Desti is less than two years old, it is already meeting people’s desires for unique travel experiences. According to the Huffington Post it’s a “virtual travel agency that aspires to master human-like judgment and taste.”
What we particularly like about Desti is its humanized approach as opposed to the robotic and unemotional traditional search engines.
Incorporation of Desti’s technology into HERE may also signal about Nokia’s future plans of something other than mere Maps. Nokia Smartwatch may really need a smart and humanized search assistant after all.
Thanks PSB for the tip. Cheers!!
