UK competition watchdog steps up scrutiny of big tech's role in AI startups

The UK competition watchdog has stepped up its scrutiny of big tech involvement in artificial intelligence startups, asking for comment on three deals by Microsoft and Amazon. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced that it was examining Microsoft's investment in the French firm Mistral and the hiring of the DeepMind co-founder Mustafa Suleyman as head of the US company's new AI division. The watchdog is also scrutinising Amazon's 4bn ( 3.2bn) investment in the US AI firm Anthropic. The CMA has issued "invitations to comment" on the tie-ups, a procedural move that paves the way for a formal investigation, amid concerns that these partnerships are effectively giving the big tech companies backdoor control over potential rivals and stifling competition. The watchdog has already asked for comments on Microsoft's relationship with OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT.