Meta Reportedly Eyes Voice AI Future With PlayAI Acquisition Talk

Meta Platforms Inc. (META) is reportedly close to finalizing an acquisition of PlayAI, a voice-focused artificial intelligence startup based in Palo Alto, California. 

A Bloomberg report cited sources familiar with the negotiations, indicating that Meta aims to acquire PlayAI’s voice technology as well as select team members, though the deal remains in progress and subject to change.

The potential deal is part of Meta's broader effort to deepen its AI capabilities and attract top-tier talent in the field.

Following the news, Meta Platforms' stock rose over 2% in Thursday afternoon trading.

The potential PlayAI deal reflects Mark Zuckerberg’s continued push to embed artificial intelligence at the core of Meta’s operations. 

Earlier in the month, Meta committed $14.3 billion to Scale AI and tapped its CEO to lead a new initiative focused on developing advanced AI capabilities under the “superintelligence” banner. 

Meta also held acquisition talks with AI search startup Perplexity, but the two sides were unable to reach a deal. 

Meta has been aggressively hiring leading experts from Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL), OpenAI, and Sesame AI, to support its effort to broaden its AI portfolio.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman revealed Meta pursued its AI talent, and according to a The Wall Street Journal report, three Zurich-based researchers, Lucas Beyer, Alexander Kolesnikov, and Xiaohua Zhai, have left OpenAI to join Meta.

If completed, the PlayAI acquisition could enhance Meta’s efforts to develop voice-integrated AI tools, especially for hands-free hardware such as smartglasses. 

PlayAI aims to make voice AI as natural as human dialogue, according to a recent blog post by the company. In late 2024, it raised $21 million from investors including Y Combinator, 500 Global, and Kindred Ventures. 

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment toward Meta Platforms remained in ‘neutral’ territory with ‘high’ message volume levels.

Meta Platforms’ stock has gained over 23% year-to-date and over 41% in the last 12 months.

Also See: Salesforce CEO Says AI Now Handles Half Of The Company’s Workload: Retail Remains Skeptical

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