Google considers pouring hundreds of millions into AI chatbot startup Character.AI

Google is in talks to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in AI chatbot startup Character.AI, according to Reuters sources. The investment could be structured as convertible notes and would deepen the existing partnership between the two companies, as Character.AI uses Google's cloud services and tensor processing units to train models. Discussions with Google are ongoing. Founded by former Google employees, Character.AI allows users to chat with virtual versions of celebrities or create their own chatbots and AI assistants. The startup is also in talks to raise equity funding from venture capital investors, potentially valuing the company at more than $5 billion.