The Ministry of Justice wonders if Google of Alphabet Inc. violated the antitrust law with an agreement to use the artificial intelligence technology of a popular chatbot manufacturer, according to people knowing the issue.
The antitrust executors recently told Google that they were examining if he structured an agreement with the company known as character. To avoid a merger examination of the formal government, said that people, who asked not to be identified by discussing the confidential investigation. In an agreement with Google last year, the founders of the Maker chatbot joined the research firm, which also obtained a non -exclusive license to use their business technology.
Offers like the one Google concluded have been praised in Silicon Valley as an effective way for companies to provide expertise for new projects. However, they also drew the attention of suspicious regulators of mature technological companies using their influence to withdraw competition from new innovators.
Google is “always happy to answer all regulators’ questions,” said Peter Schottenfels, company spokesperson, in a statement by e-mail. “We are delighted that character talent.
The Ministry of Justice can examine whether the transaction itself is anti-competitive even if it did not require an official exam. Google has not been accused of reprehensible acts in the context of the antitrust probe, which is at the start of the stages and may not lead to an application action.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Justice refused to comment. A character representative.AI did not respond to requests for comments.
From the Biden administration, the executors began to examine competition throughout the ECO ecosystem in rapid development, including specialized chips and the supply of calculation power. As part of this objective, the government examines whether partnerships with AI startups give The largest technological companies an unjust advantage as technology is developing.
Character.a is known for chatbots that can practically imitate anyone or anything. Its founders previously worked at Google before leaving several years ago to start the new business. After the agreement, they joined Google last year, as well as some members of its research team.
Bloomberg reported in August that in virtue of its agreement with Google, existing investors. Investors had to see the actions bought at a price that would result in an assessment of $ 2.5 billion for the company. As part of the agreement, the startup concluded a non -exclusive license agreement with Google for its important language model technology. The character.
The Ministry of Justice’s civil investigation accelerates an antitrust examination on Google following the decisions of the federal courts according to which the company had illegal monopolies on the research and online advertising technology markets.
In the case of online research, the Ministry of Justice hasproposeForce Google to turn your Chrome browser as a way to restore competition in the research market.
In the case of the case, the government also urged a judge to prohibit Google from paying for the shortcomings of search engines, including with AI products, and to allow executors to examine any acquisition linked to AI by the company, that it triggers the threshold for a formal examination. A decision is expected in summer.
This story was initially presented on Fortune.com
