"The Hume acquihire is the latest example of a leading AI firm scooping top talent off the market and skirting regulatory scrutiny by acquiring a startup's team rather than the company outright. Last year, Google acquired viral AI coding startup Windsurf's CEO and other top researchers, and OpenAI has acquired several startup teams in recent months, including Covogo and Roi. The Federal Trade Commission recently said that it would take a closer look at such deals."
"Hume AI's secret sauce is its model's ability to understand a user's emotions and mood based on their voice. In 2024, the startup launched its Empathetic Voice Interface, a conversational AI with emotional intelligence. Hume AI has raised close to $80 million to date according to PitchBook, and expects to bring in $100 million in revenue this year, per Wired."
"The deal also shows that voice is becoming the next frontier in AI. Hume AI isn't the only company working on voice-focused models. Google has been steadily improving its Gemini Live feature, which allows a user to have conversations with the chatbot. Last month, Google released a new native audio model for the Live API that improved the model's ability to "handle complex workflows," per the Gemini API release notes."
Google DeepMind has hired Hume AI's CEO Alan Cowen and about seven engineers under a licensing agreement to enhance Gemini's voice features. Hume AI will continue licensing its voice-emotion technology to other firms; financial terms were not disclosed. The move exemplifies an acquihire trend where incumbents recruit startup teams rather than buying companies outright, prompting increased FTC scrutiny. Hume's models detect users' emotions and mood from voice and launched an Empathetic Voice Interface in 2024. Hume has raised nearly $80 million and projects about $100 million in revenue this year. Competitors including Google and OpenAI are accelerating investments in audio and conversational voice models.
Read at TechCrunch
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