Google pays an undisclosed sum to boost its machine learning-- Toronto-based startup DNNresearch, a 3-man team comprised of University of Toronto professor Geoffrey Hinton and 2 of his graduate students. 

The "DNN" in the name stands for "Deep Neural Networks," the artificial intelligence design approach simulating the way the human brain works, with machines able to form patterns after sifting through vast amounts of data. 

Hinton is a pioneer in the research field, having kicked off work on neural networks in the 1980s before developing new "deep learning" techniques at around 2006. 

According to Wired Magazine Microsoft Research already made use of Hinton's technology, with a December 2012 live demonstration of instant English-to-Chinese voice recognition and translation. 

Likewise, Google will surely find such research very useful-- after all, the Google Glass AR goggles depends on both voice and object recognition, as does Google Now predictive-assistance technology. Thus, expect Google's deep-neural-network technology to become even smarter in the future. 

Go Google Acquires U of T Networks Company

Go Google Hires Brains that Helped Supercharge Machine Learning (Wired Magazine)