Burson has acquired Limbik, the cognitive AI company behind Decipher, its predictive intelligence platform that forecasts how communications are likely to resonate with audiences across more than 60 markets.

The acquisition brings Limbik's AI technology, engineering and research teams in-house, allowing Burson to take greater control of Decipher's development and integrate it with the agency's wider AI product suite.

Burson and Limbik have co-developed Decipher over the past two years. 

The platform predicts the potential virality and believability of communications before they reach the market, and is used across Burson's work in areas including GEO, Reputation Capital, Culture Up and influencer strategy.

Burson said the acquisition will also allow Decipher to be integrated across the wider WPP network through WPP Open.

As part of the deal, Limbik co-founders Zach Schwitzky and Josh Levin will join Burson as global head - innovation, AI platforms and products, and global head - innovation, clients and growth, respectively. Both will report to Chad Latz, global chief innovation officer, Burson.

The wider Limbik team will join Burson's Innovation team, working on AI advisory and product development across the agency.

Corey duBrowa, CEO, Burson, said, “With this acquisition, Burson continues building a standing innovation arm within our walls, designed to continuously generate, test and integrate new AI products across every practice, every geography and the entire communications and creative workflow. This is how we set the agenda for the industry - not by adapting to how AI changes communications but pioneering and proving what that change looks like.”

Schwitzky added, "Every firm in the industry is guessing how audiences will react. We built the cognitive framework that knows. With Decipher, Burson didn’t just add a tool. It activated a model for how real audiences around the world respond to information. At Limbik, we set out to build the AI infrastructure that the world's most influential agency runs on and the intelligence behind how it shapes and protects reputation at scale. Burson understood that before anyone else, and this is what setting the standard looks like.”