Microsoft and Amazon face scrutiny from UK competition watchdog over recent AI deals

By KELVIN CHAN
AP Business Writer

LONDON (AP) — British competition regulators say they’ll scrutinize recent artificial intelligence deals by Microsoft and Amazon over concerns that the moves could thwart competition in the AI industry. The Competition and Markets Authority said Wednesday it’s looking into Microsoft’s partnership with France’s Mistral AI and the company’s hiring of key staff from another startup, Inflection AI. The watchdog also separately announced that it’s investigating Amazon’s $4 billion investment in San Francisco-based Anthropic. Big Tech companies have been pouring money into generative AI startups amid growing public and business interest in the technology, but the investments have also drawn attention from antitrust authorities.