UK Regulator Probes Microsoft, Amazon AI Deals for Antitrust Issues
April 25, 2024The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is scrutinizing AI deals involving Microsoft and Amazon for potential competition issues.
Investigations are centered on Microsoft's partnership with Mistral AI and hiring from Inflection AI, and Amazon's $4 billion investment in Anthropic.
The CMA is concerned about the consolidation of power in the market for foundation models through strategic partnerships and investments.
Both Microsoft and Amazon claim their actions foster competition and are cooperating with the CMA by providing necessary information.
The CMA's interest follows a report highlighting over 90 partnerships and investments that could lead to a concentration of resources in a few tech firms.
The CMA is actively working to address antitrust concerns in the tech industry, with prior actions including delaying Microsoft's purchase of Activision Blizzard and probing the Vodafone and Three UK merger.
The regulator is inviting comments from interested parties before making a decision on launching a full antitrust investigation.
Summary based on 23 sources
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Sources
The Washington Post • Apr 24, 2024
Microsoft and Amazon face scrutiny from UK competition watchdog over recent AI dealsYahoo News • Apr 24, 2024
UK probes Amazon and Microsoft over AI partnerships with Mistral, Anthropic, and InflectionYahoo Life • Apr 24, 2024
UK probes Amazon and Microsoft over AI partnerships with Mistral, Anthropic, and Inflection