The OpenAI drama last year drew the attention of government regulators on both sides of the Atlantic. Most notably, Microsoft's $13 billion investment in the chatbot company led by Sam Altman is under intense scrutiny from European regulators.
The European Commission said on Tuesday it is considering whether the partnership could be reviewed under EU merger regulations:
“We invite companies and experts to tell us about any competition issues they may perceive in these industries, while closely monitoring AI partnerships to ensure they do not unduly distort market dynamics,” wrote the executive vice president and competition commissioner, Margrethe Vestager. in a statement.
If Microsoft and OpenAI are found to be in violation of the blog's merger rules, Vestager could launch a full-scale investigation.