The UK's competition watchdog is to investigate whether Microsoft's alliance with OpenAI could be deemed a merger.
The Competition and Markets Authority is evaluating if Microsoft's collaboration with the synthetic intelligence organization might have an effect on the complete AI market.
Microsoft has a 49% stake in the company and has promised to allocate billions into it.
Microsoft declared that it had safeguarded autonomy for both firms in reaction to the evaluation.
The collaboration of the companies has been brought into the limelight after OpenAI, notable for its invention of ChatGPT, experienced turmoil when its leader Sam Altman was unexpectedly dismissed.
After being let go by the OpenAI board, Microsoft made an offer to Mr Altman to head up a new advanced AI research team, before he was brought back on board at OpenAI.
The drama highlighted the influence that commercial rivalry is having on the advancement of AI systems and the speed at which the technology is advancing.
The CMA announced that they would accept feedback, partly due to recent occurrences.
The watchdog is interrogating if the partnership has led to a "command", if a substantial coalescence has occurred and if this could have a negative effect on competition in the UK.
The agency has requested input from external parties regarding the union, and could initiate an investigation if deemed appropriate.
Sorcha O'Carroll, the CMA's senior director for mergers, made the following comment: "We have issued an invitation to comment, as this is the first stage in our information collecting process. If any phase 1 investigation is to be opened, the CMA must first receive the data it requires from the associated parties."
Microsoft declared that their collaboration with OpenAI has sparked off increased AI development and rivalry.
Brad Smith, who is vice chair and president of Microsoft, declared that the sole alteration is that it "shall now possess a non-voting observer on OpenAI's board".
He affirmed that the tech behemoth, which was also on the CMA's radar due to its purchase of Call of Duty Maker Activision Blizzard, will closely collaborate with the CMA to give it all the data that it requires.
Mr Smith has previously asserted that the recent incident happening at OpenAI was not caused by worries about the safety of the technology being created.
He recently asserted that the apprehension of AI surpassing humans within the coming year was unfounded during a gathering in London.
It's highly unlikely that you'll witness this speculated artificial general intelligence where computers surpass humans appear within the next year. It's going to require a lengthy time period, if not many decades.
Mr Altman was a co-founder of OpenAI and established himself as a key figure for the company's debuting chatbot, ChatGPT, upon its launch in 2019.
Microsoft provided a substantial funding injection of $13bn (£10bn) that enabled the business to expand quickly.
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