Speaking at Stanford Law School this last January, I opined that natural implementers of AiCE (in its various configurations) are companies like Google and Apple. The synergy is there. It makes sense.

Fast forward to April 29. There I was, catching up on my RSS feeds, sipping java…and bam! Apple had acquired Siri! This was breaking news!

Of course, if you didn’t hear my talk at SLS, are not quite up to speed on the CodeX AiCE project, or haven’t heard of Apple’s acquisition, then you’re probably wondering what the hullabaloo is all about? So let me tell you, briefly.

Siri is a spin-off from SRI International’s Cognitive Assistant that Learns and Organizes (CALO) project. (SRI traces its origins to Stanford, but broke off back in 1970. Since then, it has dedicated itself to research for government agencies such as DARPA.)

For its part CALO is a DARPA-funded project. It seeks to develop “cognitive” software systems, which it describes as those that can “reason, learn from experience, be told what to do, explain what they are doing, reflect on their experience, and respond robustly to surprise.” Siri is part of that effort and is essentially a personal assistant packaged in an iTunes app. It features (very accurate) voice recognition, geolocation and a recommendation-like interface that offers up options emanating from the search.

I am glad Apple embraced Siri. I deeply admire the company. They get it. Apple knows how to deliver products that generate hysteria-level demand; a devote following unlike any other I have ever seen before. And that’s why I am excited about Apple’s (not some other company’s) Siri acquisition.

This acquisition helps catalyze my thoughts; I see more clearly now how AiCE’s role in various configurations (e.g., contract and/or security) can evolve into every iPhone, every iPad and the rest of Apple’s lineup. I can envision AiCE not only delivering novel functionality but itself serving as a quasi-middleware platform for developers of other AiCE, offering them an opportunity to create applications that leverage the benefits made possible from AiCE to AiCE (A2A) compatibility. Throw in UATA, and this becomes a very powerful, compelling platform.

Apple’s acquisition is a commercialization of an AI application and an investment (to the tune of $200M?) in the future of the mobile web. From an AiCE perspective, their move helps pave the way, nudging AiCE out of the conceptual crib and into the reality playground.