The Federal Trade Commission and US Department of Justice to open antitrust investigations into Microsoft, OpenAI and Nvidia, in which they will analyze the influence of firms in the artificial intelligence (AI) industry, according to information from 'CNBC' prepared with sources close to the process. Nvidia shares fall 3% this Thursday. The Federal Trade Commission will lead the investigations into Microsoft and OpenAI, while the Department of Justice will lead the investigations into Nvidia. The process will focus mainly on the conduct of these companies, and not so much on mergers and acquisitions.
Dan Coatsworth investment analyst at AJ Bell, assures that «Being Caught in a Possible Antitrust Investigation Doesn't Help the Chip Giant. Reports that the US Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission are moving forward with antitrust investigations into the dominance of Nvidia, OpenAI and Microsoft in the artificial intelligence industry are something to watch closely. «An industry that sweeps the world will naturally attract attention, good and bad. With clear winners in the AI space, authorities will want to ensure there is fair competition. Therefore, Investors will have to consider the prospect of stricter regulation and its potential impact as they pay high valuations for many industry-leading companies, even if they have more than enough cash on their balance sheets to fund any fines,» he adds. This information comes a day after OpenAI employees will publish an open letter expressing concern about the rapid advancement of AI, as well as the «serious risks» posed by this technology. «These risks range from the consolidation of existing inequalities, through manipulation and misinformation, to the loss of control of autonomous AI systems that could cause human extinction. «AI companies themselves have recognized these risks, as have governments around the world and other AI experts,» they note. This is not the first time that the Federal Trade Commission has shown its interest in investigating the operation of the industry. of AI, since In January of this year, it decided to start a study on the behavior of the main companies that make up this ecosystem.which include Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft, Anthropic and OpenAI.
The president of the body, Lina Khan, described the process at the time as a «market research on investments and partnerships being formed among AI developers and major cloud service providers.» «There is no AI exemption in the laws, and we are looking closely at ways in which Companies may be using their power to thwart competition or mislead the public.«he assured.