Barry Lynn, the Executive Director of Open Markets Institute, has welcomed the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) recent decision to investigate Big Tech's collaborations with artificial intelligence (AI) companies. He interprets this move as an indication that regulatory authorities in the U.S. are taking heed of their warnings.
Lynn stated, "This action makes clear that regulatory authorities in the U.S.—as well as in Europe and the UK—are paying attention to our warnings and those of other leading public interest groups that Microsoft, Google, and Amazon are already positioned to dominate AI technology and services up and down the tech stack." He continued by emphasizing the need for vigilance against monopoly power in the digital age: "We must learn from the key lesson of monopoly power in the digital age." According to Lynn, it is crucial for public interests to guide AI's future: "If we want the future of AI to be in the public interest, then it is the public that must set the rules."
In a press release issued by FTC last week, it was announced that an inquiry into generative AI investments and partnerships had been initiated under Section 6(b) of the FTC Act. The commission issued orders to Alphabet Inc., Amazon.com Inc., Anthropic PBC, Microsoft Corp., and OpenAI Inc., which are involved in three separate multi-billion-dollar investments. These orders require these five companies to provide information on these deals to FTC.
Open Markets Institute together with Center for Journalism and Liberty at Open Markets published a report titled "AI in the Public Interest: Confronting the Monopoly Threat" back in November 2023. As per an Open Markets press release, this report highlighted risks associated with allowing a handful of Big Tech companies—with existing monopoly power—to control AI's future. The report recommended several immediate actions including prevention of efforts to control AI development through mergers, investments, and partnerships.
The Open Markets Institute, as described on its website, is a Washington, D.C.-based think tank dedicated to curbing monopolies.
