A prominent AI startup’s leading professionals have been acquired by an established tech giant. Under a new licensing arrangement, Google DeepMind is integrating Hume AI’s CEO and several key engineers from the voice AI company, according to Wired.
The remaining operations of Hume AI will carry on providing its technology to other artificial intelligence companies. The financial specifics of this agreement were not disclosed.
TechCrunch has contacted both Google and Hume AI for official confirmation of this development.
Wired states that CEO Alan Cowen and approximately seven other engineers will join DeepMind to enhance Gemini’s voice capabilities.
This acqui-hire involving Hume exemplifies a growing trend where major AI companies recruit elite personnel from the market, bypassing traditional acquisitions to avoid regulatory oversight by bringing on a startup’s team instead of the entire entity. In the previous year, Google secured the CEO and other leading researchers from the popular AI coding startup Windsurf, while OpenAI has recently integrated several startup teams, such as Convogo and Roi. The Federal Trade Commission recently indicated its intention to scrutinize such arrangements more closely.
This agreement further highlights voice technology’s emergence as the subsequent key area in artificial intelligence.
Hume AI’s core innovation lies in its model’s capacity to interpret a user’s emotions and psychological state from their vocal patterns. In 2024, the company introduced its Empathetic Voice Interface, a conversational AI endowed with emotional intelligence. PitchBook reports that Hume AI has secured nearly $80 million in funding thus far, and Wired anticipates the company will generate $100 million in revenue this year.
However, Hume AI is not alone in developing voice-centric models. Google has been consistently refining its Gemini Live function, enabling users to engage in dialogues with the chatbot. The previous month, Google unveiled an updated native audio model for the Live API, enhancing the model’s capacity to “manage intricate workflows,” as detailed in the Gemini API release notes.
Other industry players are also heavily investing in voice technologies. OpenAI is reportedly poised to revamp its audio models ahead of the scheduled launch this year of its audio-first personal device, developed in collaboration with Jonny Ive’s io. Recent disclosures indicate this device might take the form of earbuds.
In the past year, Meta likewise intensified its AI audio initiatives through the acquisition of Play AI, a startup. The Ray-Ban smart glasses from the creator of Facebook are increasingly utilizing voice and audio functionalities for activities such as improving conversation clarity in loud environments and providing hands-free operation for calls, messages, music, and images.
“Voice represents the sole viable input method for wearable technology,” investor Vanessa Larco shared with TechCrunch. “This acquisition is poised to further quicken the demand for voice-controlled applications.”
The demand for voice functionalities remains on an upward trend. Earlier this month, ElevenLabs, an AI voice generation startup, reported that it exceeded $330 million in annual recurring revenue.