Britain's competition watchdog announced on Thursday that it has initiated an investigation to determine if Amazon's partnership with Anthropic poses any competition issues in the artificial intelligence (AI) sector. This move comes shortly after a similar investigation was launched into Alphabet's collaboration with the startup. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has set a deadline of October 4 for its Phase 1 decision, which will either lead to a more in-depth investigation or clear the partnership of any competition concerns.
In response to the CMA's inquiry, an Anthropic spokesperson stated in an email, "Our strategic partnerships and investor relationships do not compromise our corporate governance independence or our ability to collaborate with other entities. Amazon does not hold a seat on Anthropic's board, nor does it possess any observer rights on the board." The spokesperson further added, "We are committed to cooperating with the CMA and will provide them with a thorough understanding of Amazon's investment and our commercial collaboration." Amazon has yet to respond to a request for comment.
In late July, the CMA also began investigating Google's parent company, Alphabet, over its partnership with Anthropic, which was founded by former OpenAI executives Dario and Daniela Amodei. Global antitrust regulators have shown growing concern over deals between smaller startups and major tech companies. In July, regulators from the United States, European Union, and Britain issued a joint statement vowing to collaborate to ensure fair competition in the industry.
