BEIJING, July 25, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Sogou Inc. ("Sogou"
or the "Company") (NYSE:SOGO), an innovator in search and a leader
in China's internet industry,
announced that the company recently introduced a virtual anchor
technology that simulates natural speech and expression.
The technology integrates advanced image detection and
prediction capabilities, as well as speech synthesis, which allow
the virtual anchor to "broadcast" text inputs in real time. The
technology was recently demonstrated at RISE, a leading technology
summit in Hong Kong, as well as in
the Chinese mainland.
"We're pleased to introduce this exciting new technology, which
could revolutionize the way we think about how humans interact with
machines," said Xiaochuan Wang, CEO
of Sogou. "Virtual assistants are already rapidly gaining traction
as an efficient way to solve daily problems. Creating a more
realistic virtual character will facilitate more natural
interactions and enable this technology to become an even more
integral part of everyday life. While we are still in the early
stages of exploring potential applications for this technology,
there is no doubt that Sogou will continue to push the boundaries
of AI."
As early as 2000, researchers in both the academic and private
sectors worked to develop technology which could create a virtual
anchor. This type of research has advanced quickly in recent years
thanks to the evolution of AI-enabled technologies such as facial
recognition, lip-reading and machine learning driven by Big Data
analytics. In developing its virtual anchor technology, Sogou's
team of AI researchers analyzed audio and visual data from a live
anchor's broadcast, allowing them to develop a model which could
then produce a realistic virtual anchor that broadcasts text
inputs.
The technology has the potential to enable more natural
interaction between humans and machines in a wide range of
different scenarios. In addition to generating entertainment
content, AI-generated characters could also be enabled with Sogou's
interactive voice operating system and utilized to deliver
personalized content in the education, medical and legal
fields.
With a focus on natural language processing and machine
learning, Sogou has developed industry-leading capabilities in
speech recognition, image recognition and intuitive Q&A.
Sogou's speech recognition technology possesses an accuracy rate of
over 97%, and Sogou's image recognition technology has achieved an
accuracy rate of 96%. In addition, Sogou was ranked first in the
highly regarded 2017 WMT Chinese-to-English machine translation
competition and similarly received first place in the 2016-2017
13th NTCIR Chinese short text conversation competition, which
evaluates the ability of a machine to generate human-like responses
to text queries.
Earlier this year, Sogou launched the Sogou Travel Translator
and the Sogou Smart Recording Translator. In addition to these
products, Sogou's industry-leading machine translation technology
has been effectively integrated into its search, Chinese input
method and browser services, as well as its translation app.
Safe Harbor Statement
This announcement contains forward-looking statements.
Statements that are not historical facts, including statements
about our beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements.
These statements are based on current plans, estimates, and
projections, which involve inherent risks and uncertainties. We
caution you that a number of important factors could cause actual
results to differ materially from those contained in any
forward-looking statement. Potential risks and uncertainties
include, but are not limited to, intense competition in the market
for search and search-related services; our need to continually
innovate and adapt in order to grow our business; our reliance on
Tencent platforms for a significant
portion of our user traffic; and uncertainty regarding the extent
and reach of PRC governmental regulation of sponsored search.
Further information regarding these and other risks is included in
Sogou's Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2017 filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission on February 28,
2018, and other documents Sogou files with or submits to the
Securities and Exchange Commission.
About Sogou
Sogou Inc. (NYSE: SOGO) is an innovator in search and a leader
in China's internet industry. With
a mission to make it easy to communicate and get information, Sogou
has grown to become the second largest search engine by mobile
queries and the fourth largest Internet company by MAU in
China. Sogou has a wide range of
innovative products and services, including the Sogou Input Method,
which is the largest Chinese language input software for both
mobile and PC. Sogou is also at the forefront of AI development and
has made significant breakthroughs in voice and image technologies,
machine translation, and Q&A, which have been successfully
integrated into its products and services.
For investor enquiries, please contact:
Jessie Zheng
Sogou
Investor Relations
Tel: +86 10 5689 8068
Email: zhengyan@sogou-inc.com
For media enquiries, please contact:
Rachael
Layfield
Brunswick Group
Tel: +86 10 5960-8600
Email: sogou@brunswickgroup.com
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SOURCE Sogou Inc.