German antitrust head warns AI may boost Big Tech's dominance

The head of Germany's cartel office has warned that artificial intelligence may boost Big Tech's market power and regulators should be on the lookout for any anti-competitive behaviour.

By:REUTERS
| Updated on: Oct 10 2023, 06:45 IST
AI
tech giants, with their vast troves of user data, may get a competitive edge in the new technology used in smart homes, web search, online advertising, cars and many other products and services. (Pexels)

The head of Germany's cartel office has warned that artificial intelligence may boost Big Tech's market power and regulators should be on the lookout for any anti-competitive behaviour.

The comments by Andreas Mundt underscore regulatory concerns that tech giants, with their vast troves of user data, may get a competitive edge in the new technology used in smart homes, web search, online advertising, cars and many other products and services.

You may be interested in

MobilesTablets Laptops
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
  • Black Titanium
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 256 GB Storage
28% OFF
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra 5G
  • Green
  • 12 GB RAM
  • 256 GB Storage
Google Pixel 8 Pro
  • Obsidian
  • 12 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
Apple iPhone 15 Plus
  • Black
  • 6 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage

We are now on WhatsApp. Click to join

Also read
Looking for a smartphone? To check mobile finder click here.

Alphabet's Google and Microsoft have recently become rivals in artificial intelligence (AI), with the latter investing heavily in OpenAI and the former building the Bard AI chatbot among other investments.

The surge in AI popularity has prompted governments around the world to try to impose rules on the use of the technology, with the European Union in a race to adopt its landmark AI rules by the end of the year.

"For us as a competition authority, it is crucial that this new technology does not further strengthen the dominance of the large corporations," Mundt told Reuters in an interview on Friday.

"The danger is very great because you need two things above all for AI, powerful servers and vast amounts of data. Big internet corporations have both," he said.

Mundt said the field was still open to competition but regulators need to ensure it remains so.

"However, models from smaller providers could also become so popular that they develop in the direction of a kind of operating system, a new platform," he said.

“Both developments are possible, and as an authority we have to be careful that any competitive potential is not buried from the outset.”

One more thing! HT Tech is now on WhatsApp Channels! Follow us by clicking the link so you never miss any update from the world of technology. Click here to join now!

 

Catch all the Latest Tech News, Mobile News, Laptop News, Gaming news, Wearables News , How To News, also keep up with us on Whatsapp channel,Twitter, Facebook, Google News, and Instagram. For our latest videos, subscribe to our YouTube channel.

First Published Date: 10 Oct, 06:45 IST
NEXT ARTICLE BEGINS