EU, US, and UK Regulators Commit to Competitive AI Principles

Regulators representing the UK, US, and EU signed a joint agreement outlining principles to encourage AI safety and competitiveness. Agencies also pledged to use their powers to curb potential risks.

Signed by the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), European Commission (EC), US Department of Justice (DOJ), and Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the principles focus on powerful foundation models and possible harm to competition and users. The quartet referred to the need to control “key inputs” in developing AI systems, as well as putting more attention on the possibility of dominant AI companies extending power in AI-related markets.

Notably, the principles also identify arrangements involving key players as a factor that could pose risks to competitiveness, such as partnerships, financial investments, and connections between companies related to GenAI development. “In some cases, these arrangements may not harm competition, but in other cases, these partnerships and investments could be used by major firms to undermine or co-opt competitive threats and steer market outcomes in their favor at the expense of the public,” the document read.

The regulators suggested AI companies should engage in fair dealings instead of deploying exclusionary tactics, adding innovation will likely be greater the more that AI products and services and their inputs can interoperate with each other. “Any claims that interoperability requires sacrifices to privacy and security will be closely scrutinized.”