Latest news with #PlayAI
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
This Trillion-Dollar Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stock Could Double Your Money in 5 Years
Key Points Meta Platforms is going all-in on AI. This strategy should provide the company with significant growth opportunities. Meta Platforms' revenue, earnings, and stock price could double in the next five years. These 10 stocks could mint the next wave of millionaires › In 2021, social media company Facebook changed its name to Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META), partly to reflect its new focus on its metaverse ambitions. Although it is still working on that project, over the past two years, Meta's work in artificial intelligence (AI) has become the company's primary focus. The tech leader is making moves, and if enough things go right, these initiatives could lead to superior returns in the next five years and beyond. Here's why Meta Platforms could potentially double investors' money by the end of 2030. Meta Platforms is sparing no expense Meta Platforms has been investing a significant amount of money in its AI ambitions. The company announced it would build AI data centers, a project it expects will cost hundreds of billions of dollars. Meta Platforms has made other strategic moves. It recently acquired Play AI, a company that generates human-like voices through AI. The financial details of the transactions were not disclosed. Elsewhere, Meta Platforms deepened its partnership with EssilorLuxottica, the company that owns RayBan and Oakley, both of which sell glasses and eyewear accessories. Meta Platforms and EssilorLuxottica have been working together for years, but the recent investment, estimated at roughly $3.5 billion, brings their partnership to a new level. Meta Platforms has also been trying to poach top AI talent from competitors, including OpenAI. How will Meta Platforms' AI investments pay off? Consider the company's AI hardware vision. CEO Mark Zuckerberg predicted that AI glasses will likely dominate the industry within the next five to 10 years. Perhaps he is being too optimistic, but it's worth pointing out that Meta's AI glasses, developed in collaboration with EssilorLuxottica, have impressive features. They can be controlled through voice command, take pictures and videos, and users can even share what they see on video calls on WhatsApp. Meta Platforms' revenue from these glasses currently makes up a tiny percentage of its total sales. However, provided Zuckerberg's vision for the future is even close to the truth, that segment could see incredible sales growth in the next five years and perhaps contribute more meaningfully to the tech leader's financial results. And that's just one example. Here's another: Meta Platforms' large language model (LLM), Llama, is available for free. That may seem counterintuitive. It certainly wasn't free for Meta Platforms to create Llama. However, the company aims to attract talented developers to work on and refine its LLM, ultimately (hopefully) making it the leading one on the market. Since Llama powers some of the company's AI-related initiatives, including its virtual assistant, Meta AI, this strategy could, eventually, have positive spillover effects across all these other initiatives. Revenue and earnings could double by 2030 Meta Platforms' work in AI will also help improve its advertising business, from which it currently generates the overwhelming majority of its sales. The company is looking to automate the ad creation and launch process, something that will almost certainly increase ad demand and related revenue for Meta Platforms. With an ecosystem of 3.43 billion daily active users as of the end of the first quarter, Meta Platforms' websites and apps will remain favorite targets for businesses looking to advertise to a large audience. Further, Meta Platforms has also improved engagement on its apps thanks to AI-powered recommendation algorithms. The company's business is being transformed thanks to AI, with improved productivity and more lucrative opportunities across its business. In the next five years, we could see Meta Platforms' revenue and earnings double. It almost accomplished this feat in the past half-decade. But with a laser focus on AI and multiple avenues for growth, the Facebook parent can pull it off, even with some potential headwinds, such as President Donald Trump's trade policies that have already decreased ad demand from some Asia-based companies -- not that this prevented Meta Platforms from delivering strong results in the first quarter. It's also worth mentioning that Meta Platforms now pays a dividend. Investing in the stock today while setting up automatic dividend reinvestment could lead to the kinds of returns that will more than double your initial capital by the end of 2030. Don't miss this second chance at a potentially lucrative opportunity Ever feel like you missed the boat in buying the most successful stocks? Then you'll want to hear this. On rare occasions, our expert team of analysts issues a 'Double Down' stock recommendation for companies that they think are about to pop. If you're worried you've already missed your chance to invest, now is the best time to buy before it's too late. And the numbers speak for themselves: Nvidia: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2009, you'd have $447,134!* Apple: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2008, you'd have $40,090!* Netflix: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2004, you'd have $652,133!* Right now, we're issuing 'Double Down' alerts for three incredible companies, available when you join , and there may not be another chance like this anytime soon.*Stock Advisor returns as of July 21, 2025 Randi Zuckerberg, a former director of market development and spokeswoman for Facebook and sister to Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Prosper Junior Bakiny has positions in Meta Platforms. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Meta Platforms. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This Trillion-Dollar Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stock Could Double Your Money in 5 Years was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Entrepreneur
16-07-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Meta Strengthens AI Capabilities with Acquisition of Voice Technology Startup Play AI
The acquisition is expected to contribute to Meta's voice-enabled feature development across platforms such as WhatsApp, Instagram, and the Meta Quest ecosystem. You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. Meta Platforms has acquired Play AI, a startup specialising in conversational artificial intelligence and real-time voice technology. The deal, finalised in early July, marks another step in Meta's continued investment in artificial intelligence research and development. Founded in 2021, Play AI has been known for its innovations in voice cloning, interactive audio applications, and AI-generated avatars. While the financial terms of the acquisition have not been revealed, sources close to the matter report that the Play AI team will be integrated into Meta's internal AI research division. The acquisition is expected to contribute to Meta's voice-enabled feature development across platforms such as WhatsApp, Instagram, and the Meta Quest ecosystem. Play AI's technology had previously been used by developers to create virtual agents and audio-based user experiences. It is not yet known whether these products will remain available to third-party developers following the acquisition. This move aligns with Meta's broader AI strategy, which has included the rollout of new generative AI models and the launch of Meta AI, a chatbot embedded in its messaging services. Play AI's tools may enhance Meta's efforts to build more natural and responsive voice interactions, particularly within augmented and virtual reality environments. Industry analysts view the acquisition as part of a larger trend among tech giants acquiring smaller AI firms to strengthen capabilities in speech synthesis, conversational tools, and immersive AI technologies. Play AI's leadership and engineering staff are set to join Meta's AI team. However, Meta has not disclosed specific roles or how the Play AI tools will be integrated into its products. No formal statement has been issued by the company regarding the acquisition, continuing Meta's pattern of quiet strategic expansion in the artificial intelligence space.
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Meta's AI Push Grows with PlayAI Deal, Instagram Engagement Hits New High
Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) is a . On July 11, Citizens JMP analyst Andrew Boone reiterated a Market Outperform rating on the stock with a $750.00 price target. The firm is optimistic about Meta following information that Instagram's global time spent growth accelerated in June, growing 11.9% year-over-year. This implies a 100 basis point improvement from May. The research note highlighted that this growth acceleration comes despite tougher one-year and two-year comparisons for the social media platform. Instagram's growth was even more phenomenal in the United States, accelerating to 17.4% year-over-year in June. It seems that it is also successfully consolidating short-form video engagement, which is why the firm noted that the platform's comparison metrics will ease meaningfully from July through the end of the year. In other news, Bloomberg reported that Meta has completed a deal to acquire PlayAI, an artificial intelligence startup focused on voice technology. The PlayAI team will be joining Meta this week and will be reporting to Johan Schalkwyk. Schalkwyk recently joined Meta from a voice AI startup called Sesame AI Inc. While we acknowledge the potential of META as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: and Disclosure: None. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Entrepreneur
14-07-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Meta Acquires PlayAI, Startup Generating Human-Like Voices
Through the acquisition, Meta is adding fresh talent to its ranks and bringing over the startup's 35 employees. In the latest chapter in Meta's AI buying and hiring spree, Meta has acquired AI voice cloning startup PlayAI. Meta confirmed the acquisition to Bloomberg, but didn't state the deal's value. According to an internal memo leaked to Bloomberg, the "entire PlayAI team," around 35 people, will join Meta this week. They will report to Johan Schalkwyk, a former speech AI researcher at Google who recently joined Meta from another AI voice startup called Sesame AI. PlayAI's core product is a voice cloning tool that can generate human-sounding voices. The startup has partnered with companies like Walgreens and Salesforce to create voice agents for businesses that are available to answer questions, handle transactions, and schedule appointments. Related: 'The Market Is Hot': Here's How Much a Typical Meta Employee Makes in a Year PlayAI's "work in creating natural voices, along with a platform for easy voice creation, is a great match for our work and road map, across AI Characters, Meta AI, Wearables, and audio content creation," Meta wrote in the leaked memo. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg at Meta Connect in September 2024. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images Meta has been hiring and acquiring AI talent aggressively in recent months. In June, the company made one of its biggest investments yet, pouring $14.3 billion into AI data training startup Scale AI in exchange for a 49% stake in the startup and access to new talent. The deal brought Scale AI's former CEO, Alexandr Wang, to Meta as its new Chief AI Officer and head of a new team focused on developing superintelligence, or AI that surpasses human intelligence. Meta is paying top dollar to assemble a group of about 50 experts who will work to develop superintelligence with the aim of one day bringing it to Meta's products, including its AI smart glasses and chatbot. Scale AI's valuation more than doubled after the investment, rising from $14 billion to $29 billion. Meta has also been poaching AI researchers and engineers from OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic for its new superintelligence team with competitive compensation, which can go up to nine figures. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, 41, announced last month that former Google DeepMind researchers Jack Rae and Pei Sun and former OpenAI staff Trapit Bansal and Hongyu Ren would be joining the superintelligence team. Additionally, new details emerged last week that Meta is reportedly compensating former Apple engineer Ruoming Pang more than $200 million across several years to join its superintelligence effort — more than double the $74.6 million Apple CEO Tim Cook made last year. Related: Meta Invests Billions in World's Largest Eyewear Company After Ray-Ban Smart Glasses Success Meta stock was up over 19% year-to-date at the time of writing. The company has a market value of $1.81 trillion, making it the sixth largest in the world by market capitalization.
Business Insider
14-07-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
M&A News: Meta Buys Voice AI Startup PlayAI to Boost Wearables and Apps
Meta Platforms (META) has acquired voice artificial intelligence (AI) startup PlayAI to strengthen its AI offerings. PlayAI specializes in generating human-like voices that can be used in a variety of apps, including content creation and customer support. The news was first reported by Bloomberg, citing an internal memo. The financial details of the deal remain unknown at the moment. Elevate Your Investing Strategy: Take advantage of TipRanks Premium at 50% off! Unlock powerful investing tools, advanced data, and expert analyst insights to help you invest with confidence. Make smarter investment decisions with TipRanks' Smart Investor Picks, delivered to your inbox every week. Why Does Meta's Acquisition of PlayAI Matter? Meta plans to leverage PlayAI's voice AI expertise in enhancing its AI Characters, Meta AI, Wearables, and audio content creation. According to the memo, the entire PlayAI team is expected to join Meta next week and will report to Johan Schalkwyk, who was recently hired from another voice AI startup, Sesame AI. The memo also stated that PlayAI's 'work in creating natural voices, along with a platform for easy voice creation, is a great match for our work and road map.' PlayAI uses large language models (LLMs) that are trained on hundreds of millions of real-life conversations to create advanced, natural-sounding voice AI models. PlayAI's latest models support over 30 languages, offering low-latency and high-quality voice cloning. Meta Is on an AI Hiring Spree Meta is aggressively pursuing leadership in AI, rapidly hiring top talent and entire teams to build its Superintelligence Labs and compete with rivals like OpenAI, Google (GOOGL), and Anthropic. CEO Mark Zuckerberg is personally involved in recruiting top AI executives, and the company is committed to investing billions in AI infrastructure. Meta has weakened rival teams by hiring their top AI talent such as Ruoming Pang, formerly of Apple (AAPL), and OpenAI researcher Trapit Bansal. The company reportedly attracted these executives with compensation packages exceeding $100 million annually. Is META Stock a Buy? Analysts remain highly optimistic about Meta Platforms' long-term stock outlook. On TipRanks, META stock has a Strong Buy consensus rating based on 41 Buys and four Hold ratings. Also, the average Meta Platforms price target of $735.21 implies 2.5% upside potential from current levels. Year-to-date, META stock has gained 22.8%.
