Tech giants bet big on AI with startup investments

China's technology giants are placing a slew of fresh bets on artificial intelligence by investing in startup firms that are set to disrupt the burgeoning sector.

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd announced on Thursday it will fully acquire Beijing Sound Connect Technology Co, a speech solution provider for smart devices, as it ramps up efforts to enhance sound recognition and human-machine interactive technologies.

Founder of Sound Connect Fu Qiang, who is a former acoustics expert at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, will join Alibaba's Damo Academy, an in-house research and development program, to broaden the application scenarios of voice interaction, including smart home furniture.