The European Union’s competition regulator stated Tuesday that it was reviewing Microsoft’s investment into ChatGPT creator OpenAI to see if it warranted further examination under the bloc’s merger rules.
In a statement, the European regulator stated that it was checking whether Microsoft’s investment in OpenAI might be reviewable under the EU Merger Regulation.
The move is part of Brussels’ effort to ensure that its monitoring keeps up with the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence and prevents dominant firms from shutting out competitors.
Margrethe Vestager, EU competition chief, who will meet with top tech executives in California this week, stated, “It is fundamental that these new markets remain competitive”.
“We are inviting businesses and experts to tell us about any competition issues that they may perceive in these industries, whilst also closely monitoring AI partnerships to ensure they do not unduly distort market dynamics”, Vestager continued.
Vestager plans to meet with Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google CEO Sundar Pichai, as well as two OpenAI executives.
The advent of the ChatGPT chatbot in November 2023, which was at the time the fastest-adopted app, signaled the public arrival of the AI revolution.
Following an aborted boardroom coup against CEO Sam Altman last year, Microsoft promised $13 billion in OpenAI and was appointed to the board.
Last month, Britain’s competition authority said it was investigating whether Microsoft and OpenAI’s relationship resembled a merger.
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