Cohere has signed a letter of intent to acquire AI cybersecurity startup AISLE, extending the Canadian artificial-intelligence company’s expansion into security tools designed to identify vulnerabilities in software.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
AISLE develops autonomous AI systems that search software for security weaknesses and help identify potential fixes.
According to Reuters, the company detected more than 500 previously unknown software bugs during its first year, including 12 vulnerabilities involving the widely used OpenSSL encryption software.
The proposed transaction would create a new cybersecurity operation inside Cohere.
AISLE founder Ondrej Vlcek, a former Avast chief executive, is expected to lead the cybersecurity unit, while AISLE Chief Operating Officer Jaya Baloo would become Cohere’s chief information security officer.
AISLE’s approximately 50 employees would join Cohere.
The transaction would also expand Cohere’s European engineering footprint through AISLE’s operations in Prague.
The move comes as cybersecurity becomes increasingly important to the AI industry itself.
More capable AI systems can help defenders analyze software and identify vulnerabilities, but similar technology can also lower the cost and speed of offensive cyber operations.
That creates demand for automated defensive systems capable of finding weaknesses before attackers exploit them.
The agreement remains preliminary.
A letter of intent does not carry the same certainty as a completed acquisition agreement, and Cohere has not disclosed the transaction’s valuation or final closing timetable.
Investors and enterprise customers will therefore watch whether the acquisition proceeds to completion and how Cohere integrates AISLE’s autonomous security technology into its broader AI platform.
