UK competition watchdog launches review of AI market

The UK competition watchdog has fired a shot across the bows of companies racing to commercialise artificial intelligence technology, announcing a review of the sector as fears grow over the spread of misinformation and major disruption in the jobs market. As pressure builds on global regulators to increase their scrutiny of the technology, the Competition and Markets Authority said it would look at the underlying systems, or foundation models, behind AI tools such as ChatGPT. The initial review, described by one legal expert as a "pre-warning" to the sector, will publish its findings in September. In the US, the vice-president, Kamala Harris, has invited the chief executives of the leading AI firms ChatGPT, Microsoft and Google-owner Alphabet to the White House on Thursday to discuss how to deal with the safety concerns around the technology. The Federal Trade Commission, which oversees competition in the US, has signalled it is also watching closely, saying this week its staff were "focusing intensely" on how companies might choose to use AI technology, in ways that could have "actual and substantial impact on consumers".