Google reportedly snags up team behind AI voice startup Hume AI | TechCrunch

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

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

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

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

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…