U.S. regulators will examine Microsoft, OpenAI, and Nvidia for antitrust violations to maintain AI sector fairness.
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) are anticipated to initiate antitrust investigations into Microsoft and OpenAI, as well as a review of Nvidia, Â to address their market dominance in the artificial intelligence (AI) sector.
According to the most recent report, the investigation will focus on the conduct of these companies in the world of artificial intelligence.
Microsoft, OpenAI, Nvidia Under DOJ and FTC Probe
The primary concentration of these studies is on the activities of these technology companies, particularly their behaviors and actions, rather than mergers and acquisitions.
The FTC will be responsible for the investigation of Microsoft and OpenAI, while the DOJ will concentrate on Nvidia.
This action indicates that regulators are becoming increasingly concerned about the potential for market power abuse, which could result in the suppression of competition in the emerging AI market.
Microsoft has also garnered significant attention in this regard as a result of its substantial investment of around $13 billion in OpenAI since 2019, as well as its collaboration on numerous AI initiatives, such as Microsoft Copilot.
Additionally, the FTC is investigating  Microsoft’s recent acquisition of AI startup Inflection AI for $650 million.Â
This acquisition initially failed to meet merger disclosure requirements.
Regulatory Scrutiny Intensifies Amid AI Expansion
The announcement follows the FTC’s January initiative to undertake a comprehensive investigation into AI practices involving some of the world’s largest firms, including Amazon, Alphabet, Anthropic, Microsoft, and OpenAI.
During the FTC’s tech summit, Chair Lina Khan underscored the importance of this initiative, emphasizing that no company is exempt from the law in terms of consumer protection and competition.
The regulatory interest in the AI industry stems from concerns regarding market power concentration, as Nvidia controls about 80% of the AI chip market.
Nvidia has been able to maintain high gross margins of 70 to 80% as a result of its dominance.
Ongoing Investigations and Corporate Responses
These investigations are in line with the current trend of increasing regulatory pressure on major technology companies.
Other significant technology companies, such as Apple and Google, have implemented comparable measures regarding competitive behavior and market conduct in previous years.
A general industry debate regarding AI’s ethical and societal impacts serves as the backdrop for these investigations.
The OpenAI employees published an open letter this week in which they emphasized the necessity of establishing appropriate regulatory mechanisms due to the rapid advancement of AI.
These comments underscore the growing necessity for regulation in an industry that is expected to generate over $1 trillion in revenue over the next decade.
