The US Federal State Commission (FTC) has launched an inquiry to establish if big AI companies' investments and partnerships are preventing fair competition and impeding innovation by exerting inappropriate influence. The FTC has ordered dominant AI companies (including OpenAI, Microsoft, Google, and Anthropic) to provide information on investments and partnerships with AI companies and cloud service providers. While the FTC has confirmed that “no wrongdoing is alleged”, companies will need to provide the rationale behind their partnerships and investments and an analysis of how their transactions have impacted competition. While Anthropic and Amazon have declined to comment, and Google and OpenAI are yet to respond, Microsoft has stated that their partnerships are “promoting competition and accelerating innovation”.
