Meta in talks to use voices of Judi Dench, Awkwafina and others for AI
Meta is in discussions with Awkwafina, Judi Dench and other actors and influencers for the right to incorporate their voices into a digital assistant product called MetaAI, according to three people with knowledge of the talks, as the company pushes to build more products that feature artificial intelligence.
Apart from Dench and Awkwafina, Meta is in talks with comedian Keegan-Michael Key and other celebrities, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the discussions are private. They added that all of Hollywood's top talent agencies were involved in negotiations with the tech giant.
The talks remain fluid, and it is unclear which actors and influencers, if any, may sign on to the project, the people said. If the parties come to an agreement, Meta could pay millions of dollars in fees to the actors.
A Meta spokesperson declined to comment. The discussions were reported earlier by Bloomberg.
Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has invested heavily in artificial intelligence, which the biggest tech companies are racing to develop and lead. Meta has plowed billions into weaving the technology into its social networking apps and advertising business, including by creating artificially intelligent characters that could chat through text across its messaging apps.
On Wednesday, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced an increase in how much his company would spend on AI and other expenses this year to at least $37 billion, up from $30 billion at the beginning of 2024. Zuckerberg
