Federal Regulators Seek Information from Tech Giants on AI Investments

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has launched an inquiry into the artificial intelligence (AI) investments of major tech companies such as Microsoft, Google, and Amazon. The focus of the investigation will be on recent investments and partnerships related to generative AI and major cloud-service providers.

In addition to the three tech giants, the FTC has also sent requests for information to OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, and Anthropic PBC, an AI startup. Microsoft has notably made a multi-billion-dollar investment in OpenAI, while both Amazon and Google have invested in Anthropic.

The goal of these inquiries is to provide regulators with a better understanding of the market and business practices in the AI industry, which may inform future actions taken by the FTC. Specifically, the FTC is interested in gathering information about the investments and partnerships, as well as their competitive impact and the competition for “AI inputs and resources.”

The targeted companies have 45 days from receiving the order to respond to the FTC’s requests.