British competition regulators have announced their intention to investigate recent artificial intelligence deals involving Microsoft and Amazon due to concerns about potential anti-competitive behavior in the AI industry. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) revealed that it will be closely examining Microsoft's collaboration with Mistral AI from France and the recruitment of key personnel from Inflection AI. Additionally, the CMA disclosed a separate investigation into Amazon's substantial $4 billion investment in Anthropic, a San Francisco-based company.
Major technology firms have been heavily investing in generative AI startups as interest in the technology grows, prompting regulatory scrutiny from antitrust authorities. The CMA stated that it is soliciting feedback from relevant stakeholders before determining whether a comprehensive antitrust investigation is warranted.
