Meta is set to sharpen its AI capabilities with the acquisition of WaveForms AI, a startup famed for innovative audio systems that can detect and replicate emotion in speech. This move comes as part of Meta’s broader effort to revamp its AI strategy in the wake of recent challenges, and it underscores the company’s commitment to staying ahead in a fast-evolving field.
Mark Zuckerberg has long envisioned a future where everyone interacts daily with a personal AI assistant. WaveForms, which secured $40 million in funding from Andreessen Horowitz and was co-founded by seasoned experts like Alexis Conneau—an audio research veteran from Meta and OpenAI—and Coralie Lemaitre, who previously honed strategies at Google, is poised to bring that vision closer to reality. Both founders are joining Meta’s newly minted Superintelligence Labs, working alongside Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang and ex-GitHub CEO Nat Friedman.
In its quest to foster innovation, Meta isn’t stopping with WaveForms. The company has also bolstered its audio AI talent with strategic hires such as Johan Schalkwyk from Sesame, along with the acquisition of PlayAI. This reinforces an already robust initiative where Meta’s AI research is now snugly housed under Meta Superintelligence Labs (MSL).
Within MSL, a designated unit called the “TBD Lab” is focused on developing the next generation of Llama models. Led by Jack Rae, a recent recruit from Google, this team is working to enhance both reasoning and AI agent capabilities. Rumours of upcoming model iterations like “Llama 4.5” and “Llama 4.X” are already circulating, with a recent memo from Wang hinting at close collaboration across Meta’s various AI teams to push even more ambitious technical goals.
If you’ve ever wrestled with the challenge of keeping pace with rapid tech developments, Meta’s latest moves serve as a practical reminder: investing in new talent and innovative ideas is crucial for maintaining a competitive edge.
