The U.S. Justice Department is probing whether Alphabet Inc.'s Google violated antitrust law with an agreement to use the artificial intelligence (AI) technology of a popular chatbot maker, reported Bloomberg News on Thursday.
"Antitrust enforcers have recently told Google they're examining whether it structured an agreement with the company known as Character.AI to avoid formal government merger scrutiny," noted the report. In a deal with Google last year, the founders of the chatbot maker joined the search firm, which also got a non-exclusive license to use their venture's technology.
Deals like the one Google struck have been hailed in Silicon Valley as an efficient way for companies to bring in expertise for new projects, said the report. However, they've also caught the attention of regulators wary of mature technology companies using their clout to head off competition from new innovators.
Google is "always happy to answer any questions from regulators," Peter Schottenfels, a company spokesperson, said in an e-mailed statement. "We're excited that talent from Character.Ai has joined the company but we have no ownership stake and they remain a separate company."
- Antitrust probe
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
