On Monday, Microsoft declared that it will be acquiring conversational AI company Nuance for $19.7 billion, the company’s biggest purchase since LinkedIn ($26 billion).

Nuance will give Microsoft a deeper penetration into the healthcare market and will provide it with superior voice recognition and transcription technology, which it can integrate into other products.

But the biggest takeaway from the deal is Microsoft’s AI strategy, which I think is very clever. Instead of making sudden acquisitions, Microsoft keeps a safe distance and develops its relationship with companies through phases, going from cloud provider to partner to owner. This is a successful cycle that Microsoft is implementing across different sectors.

Read my full analysis on TechTalks.

For more on Microsoft’s AI business:

• Why Microsoft’s self-driving car strategy will work

• The implications of Microsoft’s exclusive GPT-3 license