Meta In Talks To Purchase Scale AI For More Than $10 Billion - 1

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Meta In Talks To Purchase Scale AI For More Than $10 Billion

  • Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
  • Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager

Meta is in talks to purchase the American data-annotation and AI–training startup Scale AI. The deal could surpass $10 billion, making it one of the largest private-sector investments in history.

In a rush? Here are the quick facts:

  • Meta is negotiating a potential $10 billion acquisition of Scale AI.
  • If the deal goes through, it would represent the largest private-sector tech investments of all times.
  • Meta’s interest aligns with its growing focus on AI and defense tech.

According to an exclusive report shared by Bloomberg , anonymous sources familiar with the matter disclosed the potential deal, but added that the negotiations are not finalized yet and that the terms shared could change.

Scale AI currently provides data labeling services for Microsoft and OpenAI’smachine learning training. The startup was valued at $14 billion last year and, as reported by Bloomberg, was in discussions for a new funding round that could raise its valuation to $25 billion.

“Meta is not going anywhere in terms of its investments around AI,” said Tom Mackenzie, one of Bloomberg’s analysts. “They’ve pledged to invest at least $60 billion dollars in AI this year.”

Representatives from Meta and Scale AI declined to comment or provide further information about the potential deal.

The reasons behind Meta’s interest in such a large investment have not been disclosed. Experts have described it as a “rare” move, though both companies share an interest in defense technology, and Meta has been developing products for the U.S. military.

If the deal goes through, it would be one of the largest private company acquisitions of all time—surpassing OpenAI’s recently announced acquisition of io for $6.5 billion .

In the past few months, Scale AI has been going through significant changes. The company partnered with the government of Qatar to enhance public services with AI technologies in a 5-year agreement.

While the startup continues to grow and secure major deals, it is also under scrutiny. The U.S. Department of Labor announced a few weeks ago that Scale AI is under investigation for potential Fair Labor Standards Act violations, and has been previously accused of exploitation of Kenyan workers.

AI Tool Helps Users With Vision Loss To Remember Environments Better - 2

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AI Tool Helps Users With Vision Loss To Remember Environments Better

  • Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
  • Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager

The AI system VIPTour is set to significantly improve how people with blindness or low vision (BLV) discover new environments.

In a rush? Here are the quick facts:

  • VIPTour helps blind and low-vision users explore parks and tourist sites independently.
  • Users improved scene recall by 772.73% and doubled long-term memory retention.
  • Emotional well-being increased by 67.9%, and excitement levels rose nearly 95%.

A research team developed VIPTour as a system which allows users to discover parks and tourist attractions independently, which in turn improves their enjoyment and understanding of spaces. Their findings were published in Nature .

The system integrates a compact camera with a smartphone application that runs an AI algorithm known as FocusFormer. FocusFormer processes scenes in real time, to identify important points such as safety markers.

The system provides exploration recommendations, which adapt to individual user preferences, such as selecting natural sounds over historical information.

The researchers argue that the BLV community may benefit from VIPTour through customized guidance based on user interests, simplified audio, tactile descriptions of complex scenes, as well as tour replay and sharing capabilities. The system is set to provide functions which serve to enhance user experiences beyond basic assistance.

In trials involving more than 30 BLV participants, the benefits were striking. Emotional well-being improved dramatically, with a 67.9% increase in positive emotions and a 94.7% rise in excitement. Users also showed a 772.73% improvement in recalling scenes, and long-term memory retention doubled.

Many reported feeling more autonomous, less reliant on others to navigate or understand their surroundings. The researchers note how millions of BLV individuals face exclusion from leisure activities due to inaccessible environments, the research team noted.

While existing tools help people get from one place to another, they often fail to create enjoyable, memorable experiences. VIPTour attempts to fill that gap by blending advanced AI with thoughtful, user-centered design.

The developers hope VIPTour will inspire more inclusive technologies that focus not only on accessibility but on autonomy and joy.