Anthropic Warns DOJ's Proposal in Google Antitrust Case Could Hinder AI Investment

Anthropic says DOJ's proposal in Google search case could chill AI investment

May 9 (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Justice's proposals in an antitrust case against Alphabet's Google (GOOGL.O), opens new tab risk chilling artificial intelligence investments, AI startup and Google partner Anthropic said in a court filing on Friday. Part of the proposal that would require Google to give the DOJ advance notice of its proposed AI investments and partnerships "would harm, not benefit, AI competition," the company said in court papers filed in Washington. The judge overseeing the case is considering what measures Google should be required to take to restore competition in the market for online search engines. The DOJ and state attorneys general have expressed concerns that Google could extend its dominance to AI. Reporting by Jody Godoy in New York Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab Suggested Topics:Boards, Policy & RegulationRegulatory Oversight Jody Godoy Thomson Reuters Jody Godoy reports on tech policy and antitrust enforcement, including how regulators are responding to the rise of AI. Reach her at [email protected]

Anthropic says DOJ proposal in Google search case could chill AI investment

Anthropic, backed by Google, warned that US Justice Department proposals to regulate Google's AI investments could deter funding for smaller AI firms. Filed in court, Anthropic argued such rules would stifle competition rather than help it. The DOJ seeks remedies to curb Google's online search monopoly, raising concerns it could dominate AI next. Tech groups supported Anthropic's stance.The US Department of Justice's proposals to increase competition against Alphabet's Google in online search could chill artificial intelligence investments, AI startup and Google partner Anthropic said on Friday. Requiring Google to give the DOJ advance notice of its proposed AI investments and partnerships would create a "significant disincentive" for Google to invest in smaller AI companies and likely deter such investments altogether, Anthropic said in court papers filed in Washington. Google holds a minority stake worth billions of dollars in Anthropic. US District Judge Amit Mehta is considering ways for Google to open up the online search market, after ruling in August that the tech titan holds an illegal monopoly. The DOJ and state attorneys general have expressed concerns that Google could extend its dominance to AI. Anthropic argued that the DOJ's proposals "would harm, not benefit, AI competition." "Without Google partnerships with and investments in companies like Anthropic, the AI frontier would be dominated by only the largest tech giants - including Google itself - giving application developers and end users fewer alternatives," Anthropic said. Tech industry groups Engine Advocacy and TechNet joined Anthropic on the brief. Antitrust enforcers have asked Mehta to require Google to take a range of actions including sharing its search data with competitors, selling off its Chrome browser, and ceasing multibillion dollar payments to Apple and other companies that set Google as the default search engine on new devices. An earlier proposal by the DOJ would have required Google to sell its AI investments. Google has said making its agreements non-exclusive, as it has already begun to do, is the right approach.

Anthropic Says DOJ Proposal to Monitor Google's AI Investments Would Harm Competition | PYMNTS.com

The DOJ's proposal and Anthropic's court filing came in the case in which a U.S. district judge is considering ways to increase competition in the online search market, after ruling in August that Google holds an illegal monopoly in that market, Reuters reported Friday (May 9). The DOJ and several state attorneys general made this proposal and many others in the case, aiming to open up the search market and to prevent Google from becoming dominant in the artificial intelligence (AI) field, according to the report. Anthropic, which is an AI startup and a partner of Google, and the two tech industry groups said in their court filing that the DOJ's AI-related proposal could deter Google from partnering with and investing in smaller AI companies, which would harm competition and result in app developers and end users having fewer options, per the report. Google has said that it has already begun making its agreements non-exclusive and that this is the right approach to ensuring competition in the AI field, the report said. It was reported March 7 that the DOJ dropped an earlier bid to force Google to sell its AI investments, while still seeking a court order to compel the tech giant to sell its Chrome browser. A Google spokesperson said at the time that the DOJ's proposals "continue to go miles beyond the Court's decision, and would harm America's consumers, economy and national security." On April 21, the DOJ told the court that strong measures are needed to make sure Google cannot leverage its AI products to further extend its search engine monopoly. "This court's remedy should be forward-thinking and not ignore what is on the horizon," DOJ lawyer David Dahlquist told the court. While Google's share of the search market has fallen from nearly 90% in 2020 to closer to 80% today, in part because of AI-powered competitors, the company has also become a major player in retrieval augmented search (RAG), which combines a large language AI model with traditional search technology.

Google partner Anthropic warns DOJ proposal to increase competition...

The Justice Department's proposals to increase competition against Alphabet's Google in online search could chill artificial intelligence investments, AI startup and Google partner Anthropic said Friday. Requiring Google to give the DOJ advance notice of its proposed AI investments and partnerships would create a "significant disincentive" for Google to invest in smaller AI companies and likely deter such investments altogether, Anthropic said in court papers filed in Washington. Google holds a minority stake worth billions of dollars in Anthropic. US District Judge Amit Mehta is considering ways for Google to open up the online search market, after ruling in August that the tech titan holds an illegal monopoly. The DOJ and state attorneys general have expressed concerns that Google could extend its dominance to AI. Anthropic argued that the DOJ's proposals "would harm, not benefit, AI competition." "Without Google partnerships with and investments in companies like Anthropic, the AI frontier would be dominated by only the largest tech giants -- including Google itself -- giving application developers and end users fewer alternatives," Anthropic said. Tech industry groups Engine Advocacy and TechNet joined Anthropic on the brief. Antitrust enforcers have asked Mehta to require Google to take a range of actions including sharing its search data with competitors, selling off its Chrome browser, and ceasing multibillion dollar payments to Apple and other companies that set Google as the default search engine on new devices. An earlier proposal by the DOJ would have required Google to sell its AI investments. Google has said making its agreements non-exclusive, as it has already begun to do, is the right approach.

Anthropic says DOJ's proposal in Google search case could chill AI investment

(Reuters) -The U.S. Department of Justice's proposals in an antitrust case against Alphabet's Google risk chilling artificial intelligence investments, AI startup and Google partner Anthropic said in a court filing on Friday. Part of the proposal that would require Google to give the DOJ advance notice of its proposed AI investments and partnerships "would harm, not benefit, AI competition," the company said in court papers filed in Washington. The judge overseeing the case is considering what measures Google should be required to take to restore competition in the market for online search engines. The DOJ and state attorneys general have expressed concerns that Google could extend its dominance to AI.

Anthropic says DOJ proposal in Google search case could chill AI investment

(Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Justice's proposals to increase competition against Alphabet's Google in online search could chill artificial intelligence investments, AI startup and Google partner Anthropic said on Friday. Requiring Google to give the DOJ advance notice of its proposed AI investments and partnerships would create a "significant disincentive" for Google to invest in smaller AI companies and likely deter such investments altogether, Anthropic said in court papers filed in Washington. Google holds a minority stake worth billions of dollars in Anthropic. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta is considering ways for Google to open up the online search market, after ruling in August that the tech titan holds an illegal monopoly. The DOJ and state attorneys general have expressed concerns that Google could extend its dominance to AI. Anthropic argued that the DOJ's proposals "would harm, not benefit, AI competition." "Without Google partnerships with and investments in companies like Anthropic, the AI frontier would be dominated by only the largest tech giants -- including Google itself -- giving application developers and end users fewer alternatives," Anthropic said. Tech industry groups Engine Advocacy and TechNet joined Anthropic on the brief. Antitrust enforcers have asked Mehta to require Google to take a range of actions including sharing its search data with competitors, selling off its Chrome browser, and ceasing multibillion dollar payments to Apple and other companies that set Google as the default search engine on new devices. An earlier proposal by the DOJ would have required Google to sell its AI investments. Google has said making its agreements non-exclusive, as it has already begun to do, is the right approach. (Reporting by Jody Godoy in New York; Editing by Richard Chang)