UK regulator to probe Google’s links with Anthropic

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in the United Kingdom (UK) is launching a probe into Google’s partnership with a rival AI company, Anthropic.

The CMA – the UK’s main competition regulator – is concerned about Google’s heavy investment in the AI research start-up. According to reports the tech giant funded $300 million in 2023 followed by a further $2 billion later in the same year. Amazon is another big-name investor and has pumped $4 billion into Anthropic, which has developed Claude, a major chatbot rival to ChatGPT.

The CMA fears that huge companies are using this method to fly under the radar and gain control over smaller AI businesses. The regulator has already begun looking into Microsoft’s ties with OpenAI, as well as Amazon’s Anthropic dealings.

The authority has the power to clamp down on anti-competitive behavior within the UK.

The San Francisco-based AI start-up Anthropic is a public benefit corporation. This is a type of for-profit business that seeks to have a positive impact on people. For Anthropic, this means it does not solely aim to make a profit. It wants to create trustworthy and reliable AI for the public.

CMA vs Google

The CMA is now seeking comments from any interested parties in the Google and Anthropic probe. It is, “considering whether it is or may be the case that Alphabet’s partnership with Anthropic has resulted in the creation of a relevant merger situation under the merger provisions of the Enterprise Act 2002”.

The invitation to comment will close on Aug. 13.

Earlier this year, a similar probe was launched into Microsoft’s dealings with the start-up Mistral AI. The CMA did not begin a full-scale investigation as the size of the investment did not meet the required standard in the merger regulations.

Featured image: Ideogram

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