Meta is in discussions with actors such as Awkwafina and Judi Dench, as well as influencers, for the right to use their voices in its MetaAI digital assistant product, the New York Times said on Friday.

The social media giant is also in talks with comedian Keegan-Michael Key, among other celebrities, and Hollywood's top talent agencies were involved in negotiations, the newspaper said, citing people familiar with the matter.

While details such as who may sign on are still uncertain, the paper said Meta could pay millions of dollars in fees to the actors if a deal was reached.

Meta did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.

On Wednesday, Meta signaled it would continue to spend big on AI infrastructure. Like many tech peers, it has been plowing billions of dollars into its data centers to capitalize on the boom in generative artificial intelligence.

  - Reuters