By confirming the takeover of Alter, a startup specializing in the creation of 3D avatars with the help of artificial intelligence, Google further affirms its intention to be a major player in the Metaverse and social networks.
Google has confirmed that it has acquired Alter, a company specializing in 3D avatar creation with the help of artificial intelligence for the modest sum of $100 million. The Mountain View firm is therefore following in the footsteps of Facebook, Meta and other WhatsApp, which are also developing this type of character. The takeover operation was quite discreet, since it was finalized more than two months ago. The magnitude of the sum put on the table confirms that the search giant intends to hit hard and outdo Tiktok Avatars.
Alter was an open source system for creating 3D avatars in real time. The company aimed to be a Metaverse player and used motion capture technology to make the avatars look realistic. Not only did their SDK make it possible to create characters in the context of virtual reality, but moreover, it was possible touse this technology in games, apps and other websites. By getting its hands on these technologies, Alphabet affirms its intention to be a major player in a Metaverse where everything is yet to be created.
With this takeover, Google is investing heavily in the Metaverse and competing directly with Tiktok
By studying the Linkedin profile of Jon Slimak, the COO of Alter, we discover that he is starting a new (undetermined) position at Google, in the Avatars division. Google therefore seems to be increasing its investments in AI. We know that the company uses machine learning in the Tensor processors of its Pixel 7 Pro to apply treatments to photos or to translate speech. It makes extensive use of neural networks to help people filter search results.
If we know that Google wants to sell more devices from its Pixel range to sustain the Android ecosystem, we are not absolutely sure to understand the company’s strategy in terms of social networks and avatars. It is rumored that the takeover of Alter would make it possible to compete with Tiktok. Google-style avatars would be integrated into YouTube Shorts which, against all odds, is having a certain success with young people. The company is slowly advancing its pawns, and this takeover is therefore only the first step in a well-rehearsed strategy.