Google buys online summariser

Google has bought Wavii, a Seattle start-up behind an application that condenses online content for time-pressed web surfers.

Both companies confirmed the deal. As with most of its acquisitions, Google isn’t disclosing how much it paid for Wavii.

Wavii’s technology grasps the context of language so it can summarise the main points in news stories and other content.

Although Wavii’s app is shutting down, CEO Adrian Aoun says the start-up’s technology will be used in other Google products.

Google, which is based in Mountain, View, California, declined to discuss its plans for Wavii.

The natural-language technology could be useful for Google’s Knowledge Graph, an 11-month-old feature that summarises information in boxes that appear alongside some of Google’s search results.