• Google is in advanced talks to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in Character.AI, an emerging AI chatbot startup.
• The potential investment, likely in convertible notes, aims to significantly enhance Character.AI’s capabilities, meeting increasing user demand and advancing its AI model training, as per insider sources.
• Founded by former Google employees Noam Shazeer and Daniel De Freitas, Character.AI enables users to interact with virtual versions of celebrities and anime characters, particularly resonating with the 18–24 age group.
Google is reportedly in advanced talks to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in Character.AI, an emerging AI chatbot startup.
This potential investment, possibly in convertible notes, could significantly enhance Character.AI’s capabilities to meet growing user demand and advance its AI model training, according to sources.
Founded by ex-Google employees Noam Shazeer and Daniel De Freitas, Character.AI allows users to interact with virtual versions of celebrities and anime characters, gaining traction, especially among the 18–24 age group.
The investment aligns with Google’s broader strategy in AI, reflecting a trend among major tech cloud providers to make strategic investments in AI companies, potentially influencing the use of specific cloud services or hardware in the competitive AI development space.
However, Google and Character.AI have not commented on the ongoing discussions.
Last March, the 16-month-old start-up that builds online chatbots, raised USD 150 million in a recent funding round that valued the company at $1 billion.
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