The top talent behind yet another promising AI startup has been gobbled up by an incumbent. As part of a new licensing deal, Google DeepMind is bringing in the CEO of voice AI startup Hume AI and several top engineers, Wired Report.

What’s left of Hume AI will continue to provide its technology to other AI companies. No financial details of the deal were shared.

TechCrunch has reached out to Google and Hume AI to confirm the news.

According to Wired, CEO Alan Cowen and about seven engineers will work with DeepMind to improve Gemini’s voice features.

Hume Aquihire is the latest example of a leading AI firm seeking top talent from the market and acquiring a startup’s team instead of a company to face regulatory scrutiny. last year, Google has acquired the CEO of viral AI coding startup Windsurf and other top researchers, and OpenAI has acquired several startup teams in recent months, including Kovogo And Roy. Federal Trade Commission Recently Dr It will take a closer look at such deals.

The deal also shows that voice is becoming the next frontier in AI.

Hume AI’s secret sauce is its model’s ability to understand a user’s emotions and mood based on their voice. In 2024, startups introduced its empathetic voice interfaceA conversational AI with emotional intelligence. Hume AI has raised close to $80 million so far and expects to generate $100 million this year, per Wired, according to Pitchbook.

But Hume AI isn’t the only company working on voice-focused models. Google is constantly improving its Gemini Live feature, which allows a user to have a conversation with a chatbot. Last month, Google released a new native audio model for the Live API that improved the model’s ability to “handle complex workflows.” Gemini API Release Notes.

Others in the industry are also investing heavily in voice capabilities. OpenAI is reported The audio-first personal device, powered by Jony Ive’s IO, is preparing to revamp its audio models in preparation for a launch this year. Recent leaks suggest the device could be A form of earbuds.

Last year, Meta accelerated its AI audio push Achieving startup play AI. Facebook-maker Ray-Ban’s smart glasses are increasingly relying on voice and audio capabilities Helps hear conversations in noisy rooms and enables hands-free control for calls, texts, music and photos

“Voice is the only acceptable input mode for wearables,” Investor Vanessa Larco TechCrunch said. “This acquisition will only accelerate the need for voice apps.”

Demand for voice capabilities continues to grow. Earlier this month, AI voice generation startup ElevenLabs said this Exceeded $330 million in annual recurring revenue.