Investing.com -- Apple Inc. has acquired Israel-based artificial intelligence startup Q.ai, which specializes in technology that reads facial movements and understands silent communication. The acquisition brings back Aviad Maizels to Apple’s fold, who co-founded Q.ai and was previously involved in a startup Apple purchased about ten years ago that helped develop Face ID. While Apple did not reveal the purchase price, the Financial Times reported the deal valued Q.ai at nearly $2 billion. Before the acquisition, Q.ai had secured backing from several major investors including Google Ventures, Spark Capital, and Kleiner Perkins, according to the startup’s website. At the reported $2 billion price tag, the deal also represents Apple’s first ’sizeable’ deal in years.