staff@slashgear.com (Brad Hill)
2024-06-16 17:15:14
www.slashgear.com
The rise of artificial Intelligence and machine learning software like OpenAI’s ChatGPT in recent years has driven major tech companies to invest exorbitant dollars in them. Microsoft, for example, invested $13 billion in OpenAI and started using its technology in the Bing search engine. Microsoft is easily one of the biggest names in the tech industry, and its no stranger to being a little shady behind the scenes.
So, it might be of little surprise that Microsoft — along with Nvidia and OpenAI — is part of a federal investigation spearheaded by the DOJ to investigate possible collusion. While Nvidia is well known for its graphics cards, it’s also working diligently on AI hardware. Meanwhile, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is taking the lead on investigating OpenAI and Microsoft.
When the FTC launched its inquiry, its Chair Lina M. Khan said, “Our study will shed light on whether investments and partnerships pursued by dominant companies risk distorting innovation and undermining fair competition.” It’s worth noting that the United States has been a little slow to regulate AI, falling way behind the European Union’s progress in rolling out AI regulations. Time will tell if Microsoft has structured its deals with AI startups and its stake in OpenAI in such a way to get around antitrust scrutiny.