UK warns of tech majors' control of AI

An influential body of UK policymakers said regulators should stop major tech companies from dominating the field of artificial intelligence, and also warned on the potential of widespread unemployment due the technology. British anti-trust regulators should be mindful that large datasets on which artificial intelligence depends on are not monopolised by a handful of large technology companies, such as Alphabet, IBM and Microsoft, the House of Lords Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence said in a report published Monday. "Large companies which have control over vast quantities of data must be prevented from becoming overly powerful within this landscape," the report, which followed a nine-month inquiry into all aspects of AI development in the UK, said. The committee received 223 pieces of written evidence and interviewed 57 witnesses during the course of the investigation. However, it stopped short in recommending the creation of an overarching new ministry to serve as a watchdog on the emerging technology.