Overview

• Meta confirmed it has acquired PlayAI, a startup specializing in natural-sounding voice technology, while keeping financial terms undisclosed.
• The entire PlayAI team will join Meta Superintelligence Labs this week and report to Johan Schalkwyk, a recent hire from Sesame AI.
• PlayAI’s voice-creation platform will support Meta’s AI Characters, Meta AI, wearables and audio content initiatives.
• This deal follows Meta’s $14.3 billion minority stake in Scale AI and its recruitment of senior researchers from OpenAI, Anthropic and Google DeepMind.
• The acquisition underscores Mark Zuckerberg’s strategy to centralize advanced AI efforts and fuels a broader talent competition in the industry.