Meta has officially acquired PlayAI, a voice-focused artificial intelligence startup, strengthening its growing investments in AI technology. According to an internal memo, the entire PlayAI team will be joining Meta next week, marking another key step in the tech giant’s AI ambitions.
The team will report to Johan Schalkwyk, a recent hire at Meta who previously worked at Sesame AI, another voice AI firm. While a Meta spokesperson confirmed the acquisition, the financial details of the deal have not been disclosed.
The internal memo noted that PlayAI’s “work in creating natural voices, along with a platform for easy voice creation, is a great match for our work and roadmap across AI Characters, Meta AI, Wearables, and audio content creation.”
This move is part of Meta’s broader strategy to become a leading force in artificial intelligence. The company has been aggressively investing in infrastructure, including chips and data centers, and hiring top talent to build its next generation of AI models.
Earlier this year, Meta launched its LLaMA 4 models, but they failed to gain significant attention and fell short when compared to competitors like Google and OpenAI. The setback led to a shift in strategy, with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announcing the creation of a new division — Meta Superintelligence Labs. This unit, led by Alexandr Wang, the former CEO of Scale AI, is focused on developing advanced AI systems, aiming to achieve “superintelligence” ahead of rivals.
Meta acquired Scale AI in a massive $14.3 billion deal, further underlining its commitment to leading the AI race. Since then, the company has also been attracting top AI experts from major players like OpenAI and Google, reportedly offering bonuses of up to $100 million to key hires.
Among the high-profile recruits are developers who worked on the GPT-4 and GPT-4o models, as well as Ruoming Pang, Apple’s former AI chief, who reportedly received a compensation package of over $200 million.
The acquisition of PlayAI signals Meta’s continued focus on voice technology as part of its wider AI ecosystem — spanning social platforms, virtual assistants, wearables, and immersive content.
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