The United States antitrust enforcer, Jonathan Kanter, has announced plans to investigate the country’s artificial intelligence (AI) sector amidst concerns of a few companies holding excessive control.
In a report by the Financial Times, Kanter stated that he is closely examining the competitive landscape of AI, focusing on “monopoly choke points.” This includes areas such as computing power, data utilized for training large language models (LLMs), cloud service providers, engineering talent, and hardware.
Kanter emphasized the need to prevent a monopoly in the AI sector, stressing the urgency for action to ensure that dominant technology firms do not monopolize the market. He expressed concerns that AI is currently at a peak of competition rather than a baseline level.
The official suggested that real-time intervention could be the most effective approach, as it allows for less invasive measures. Kanter also pointed out the scarcity of graphics processing units (GPUs) used for training LLMs, noting that antitrust regulators are also monitoring how chipmakers allocate their products as demand rises.
On May 23, GPU provider Nvidia released its first-quarter earnings report, revealing a 262% increase in revenue compared to the previous year. Following the report, the company’s stock prices soared to a record high of $1,007, pushing its valuation above $2.5 trillion.
Kanter mentioned ongoing government initiatives to boost chip production, including subsidies for chip manufacturing. The Chips and Science Act, signed into law in 2022, allocated $39 billion for chip manufacturing subsidies in the country.
In related news, SingularityNET’s COO, Janet Adams, expressed concerns in 2023 about Big Tech companies monopolizing artificial general intelligence, a version of AI that could mimic human thinking and development. Adams warned of a potential dystopian future if AI is monopolized, with big companies using the technology for the benefit of a select few rather than addressing societal inequalities.
To prevent such a scenario, Adams advocated for decentralizing AI development using blockchain technology as a solution.