Meta has acquired voice technology startup PlayAI, further solidifying its commitment to artificial intelligence as a core focus. This move comes shortly after Meta’s high-profile $14.3 billion acquisition of ScaleAI, signaling the company’s aggressive efforts to lead the AI race against rivals like Google and OpenAI.
According to an internal memo obtained by Bloomberg, “the entire PlayAI team” will now become part of Meta’s operations and will report directly to Johan Schalkwyk, a recent hire from Sesame AI Inc., another voice AI startup. PlayAI’s expertise spans multilingual voice cloning, real-time speech synthesis, and programmable voice agents — technologies expected to enhance Meta’s voice capabilities across its platforms.
PlayAI’s innovations are likely to play a role in upgrading products such as Meta’s Quest VR headsets and Ray-Ban smart glasses. In addition, Meta may offer developers access to PlayAI’s APIs, enabling them to create custom voice agents and interactive characters.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has made it clear that AI is the company’s top priority for the year. “Zuckerberg has declared AI the company’s paramount priority for the year, as Meta vies with rivals like Google and OpenAI to develop AI features.” In line with this vision, Meta has launched the Meta Superintelligence Labs, led by ScaleAI CEO Alexandr Wang. This ambitious division aims to create superintelligent AI ahead of competing tech giants.
While financial details of the PlayAI acquisition remain undisclosed, its strategic value is apparent. The company’s voice tech capabilities are expected to support Meta’s broader mission of integrating human-like AI into its products and platforms.
In recent months, Meta has ramped up recruitment of top AI researchers from leading firms. “Bloomberg also says that Zuckerberg has been poaching AI researchers from leading firms, including Google and OpenAI, to staff this new team.” Notably, Meta recently hired three researchers from OpenAI’s Zurich office, a move confirmed by OpenAI itself.
Adding to the competitive tension, “OpenAI CEO Sam Altman even claimed that Meta is offering $100 million signing bonus for researchers.” Meta had also explored potential acquisitions of other AI firms like Perplexity AI and Runway AI, although those talks did not result in formal agreements.
The acquisition of PlayAI is yet another step in Meta’s fast-paced journey toward building a powerful AI ecosystem.
