Britain's competition watchdog, the Competition and Markets Authority, has announced that it is investigating Google's partnership with artificial intelligence startup Anthropic. This move comes as part of the increasing regulatory scrutiny surrounding the influx of investment in the AI industry.
The authority is currently soliciting comments from interested parties to determine whether the collaboration between Google and Anthropic has led to a significant reduction in competition within the United Kingdom's AI services sector. Feedback will be accepted until August 13, following which a decision will be made on whether to launch a formal investigation.
Anthropic, a San Francisco-based company founded in 2021 by siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei, has a strong focus on enhancing the safety and reliability of AI models. Google reportedly made a substantial investment in Anthropic last year, further solidifying their partnership.
Notably, the U.K. regulator has been closely monitoring other tech giants as well. Amazon's $4 billion investment in Anthropic and Microsoft's partnership with OpenAI have also come under scrutiny. Additionally, Microsoft's hiring of key staff from startup Inflection AI has raised concerns about potential anti-competitive behavior.
In response to the investigation, Anthropic has emphasized its independence as a company and its commitment to maintaining autonomy in its decision-making processes. The company has stated that its strategic partnerships and investor relationships do not compromise its corporate governance or its ability to collaborate with other entities.
Google, on the other hand, has reaffirmed its dedication to fostering an open and innovative AI ecosystem. The tech giant has clarified that Anthropic is free to utilize multiple cloud providers, including Google's services, and that there are no exclusivity requirements in place.
