Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, has acquired Play AI, a fast-rising startup known for developing artificial intelligence that creates natural-sounding, human-like voices. The deal, confirmed by a Meta spokesperson and reported by Bloomberg, will see the entire Play AI team join Meta next week.
Play AI’s technology will help Meta build better AI characters, improve voice assistants, and create more engaging audio content across its platforms. An internal memo described Play AI’s work as “a great match for our work and road map, across AI Characters, Meta AI, Wearables and audio content creation.” Financial details of the deal were not made public.
Meta’s Play AI purchase is just one part of a bigger strategy. In late June, Meta bought a 49% stake in Scale AI for $14.3 billion. Scale AI’s co-founder, Alexandr Wang, is now Meta’s Chief AI Officer and leads the new Meta Superintelligence Labs. This division will focus on making Meta’s artificial intelligence efforts faster and more unified.
Wang is well-known in the tech world, having built Scale AI into a major supplier of data tools for companies like Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI. Under his leadership, Scale AI reached a $13.8 billion valuation by 2024.
Meta is also hiring top talent from other AI labs. Meta recently recruited Jack Rae, a principal researcher from Google DeepMind. The company has tried to lure OpenAI staff with signing bonuses as high as $100 million, according to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. However, Altman said none of his top people have left, arguing that OpenAI’s culture and mission keep them loyal.
Until recently, Meta mostly built its AI tools in-house, especially its Llama large language model. This was different from rivals like Microsoft and Amazon, who invested heavily in outside AI startups. But Meta’s approach is changing. In January, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said AI would be Meta’s top priority in 2025, with up to $65 billion planned for AI infrastructure and innovation this year.
Meta is also looking to raise up to $29 billion to fund its expansion into AI infrastructure. The company is talking to big private investors to secure $3 billion in equity and $26 billion in debt. This money will help Meta build next-generation data centers in the US, supporting its growing AI ambitions.
Meta has also announced the Llama Impact Grant for startups and researchers in Sub-Saharan Africa, showing its interest in supporting local innovation.
