The author calls for robust regulation to address this concentration of power, including transparency mandates, liability regimes, and business separation between different layers of the AI stack. They argue that without significant intervention, the AI market will only reward and entrench the same companies that have profited from the invasive surveillance business model that powers the commercial internet. The article concludes by warning that if governments continue to prioritize the interests of these companies in policy-making, the public interest will be undermined.
Key takeaways:
- The AI industry is heavily dependent on Big Tech companies like Microsoft, Amazon, and Google for computing infrastructure and market reach. Most startups and AI research labs rely on these firms.
- Big Tech companies have significant control over the development and deployment of large-scale AI, shaping the incentive structures for research and development in the field. This concentration of power poses risks to markets, democracy, culture, and individual and collective agency.
- OpenAI's recent saga with Microsoft highlights the influence and control Big Tech has over the trajectory of AI. OpenAI licenses its models to Microsoft in exchange for access to Microsoft's computing infrastructure.
- There is a need for robust regulation and accountability that prioritizes public interests over corporate interests. This includes transparency mandates, liability regimes, and regulation that forces business separation in the AI industry to prevent Big Tech from consolidating its position.