Search-as-a-service provider Algolia Inc. said today it has acquired a Google Digital News Initiative-funded startup called MorphL AI Inc.

Moreover, it has already integrated the company’s tech to power a new artificial intelligence offering called Algolia AI that the company says will enable developers and marketers to predict someone’s intent when they make an online search.

Algolia sells a cloud-based search engine that companies can embed in their sites, cloud services and mobile apps via an application programming interface. Online retailers can use the platform to help shoppers browse their product catalogs, for example. Algolia’s technology is also used by websites such as the open publishing platform Medium and the online learning course provider Coursera.

Algolia’s enterprise-focused search technology enables companies to create a customized search bar, with tools such as a sidebar so shoppers can quickly filter goods by price, for example.

MorphL is a Romanian startup that has created an AI platform for e-commerce personalization that works by predicting how people are likely to interact with a user interface. Its technology will extend Algolia’s search APIs with recommendations and user behavior models that will make it possible for e-commerce websites and apps to deliver more “intent-based experiences.”

Algolia says that online shoppers today demand instant gratification, and it believes that MorphL’s AI technology will help it go some way toward providing that. The idea is to create a personalized shopping experience and deliver tailored results when someone searches a website or app, even if it’s the first time that person has interacted with it.

“This will enable companies to move beyond content-based experiences to predictive, intent-based experiences,” Algolia Chief Executive Bernadette Nixon said. “Importantly, it will enable online retailers to monetize new products, new visitors and infrequent visitors like they have never been able to do before.”

Algolia AI is available now as part of the company’s search API.

Image: Algolia