
Meta acquires PlayAI to enhance voice features across its apps
What's the story
Meta, the parent company of Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook, has acquired PlayAI after advanced acquisition talks. The start-up is known for its innovative artificial intelligence (AI) voice technology. The entire PlayAI team will be joining Meta next week and will work under Johan Schalkwyk, who recently joined from another voice AI start-up, Sesame AI. This acquisition is part of Meta's efforts to improve the quality of its voice features across all apps.
Integration plans
PlayAI's tech to boost Meta's voice features
The technology developed by PlayAI will be integrated into a number of Meta products, including AI characters, wearables, and audio content creation tools. This could mean more advanced virtual assistants or improved voice effects in the future. The acquisition is part of a larger strategy by Meta to develop state-of-the-art AI models.
Strategic move
AI is the top priority this year
Meta has made AI its top priority this year, investing in infrastructure and talent to build new models and features. The company has also launched a new AI division, Meta Superintelligence Labs, with the goal of achieving "superintelligence" in AI systems before any other company. The division is headed by Alexandr Wang, former CEO of Scale AI, a start-up recently acquired by Meta for $14.3 billion.
Talent acquisition
Hiring top AI talent from rivals
Meta has also been aggressively hiring top AI talent from companies like OpenAI and Google, offering bonuses of up to $100 million to new employees. Among the top talent the company has poached are key developers behind the GPT-4 and GPT-4o models. The company also recently hired Ruoming Pang, Apple's head of AI, with a reported pay package exceeding $200 million. These moves are part of Meta's broader strategy to strengthen its position in the competitive AI landscape.