Meta is in at present in acquisition talks with PlayAI, a California-based startup that gives its customers with an AI voice cloning device, based on Bloomberg. In response to the information group, Meta is seeking to purchase the startup's expertise, in addition to to soak up a few of its workers into the corporate. The events haven't come to an settlement but, but when the acquisition pushes by way of, it may give the corporate the expertise it must broaden its voice AI choices. It may roll out extra voice options for its AI chatbot and assistant, in addition to for its sensible glasses from Ray-Ban and Oakley.
Whereas each corporations refused to verify their talks to Bloomberg, the potential buy of an AI voice cloning device doesn't sound out of left discipline for Meta primarily based on its latest actions. Firm chief Mark Zuckerberg has been personally concerned in a hiring spree for high-level AI specialists over the previous few months to type the corporate's new AI Superintelligence group.
Zuckerberg has reportedly been providing specialists from rival corporations like OpenAI compensation packages as huge as $100 million, and some had already accepted. Only a few days in the past, Meta finalized a $14.3 billion funding in Scale AI, a startup that gives different corporations with knowledge labeling and mannequin analysis providers for AI coaching. In alternate, Scale AI's founder and CEO Alexandr Wang joined Meta and is believed to be heading its new Superintelligence lab. Earlier than Meta determined to put money into Scale AI, it additionally thought of buying Perplexity AI.
PlayAI's web site says its device can mimic or clone a person's voice and may generate voices as actual as people, which might be deployed to web sites, apps and telephones. Whereas its acquisition may result in helpful voice options for Meta's apps and web sites, the corporate may additionally use the device to make extra life-like AI chatbots. Zuckerberg's imaginative and prescient of the long run, in any case, is a world the place individuals's AI pals outnumber human ones. We could already be seeing the beginnings of such a world, contemplating chatbot romances have turn into more and more in style over the previous few months.
This text initially appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/meta-is-reportedly-looking-to-acquire-ai-voice-replicator-playai-133032491.html?src=rss