The Concentration of Power 🏭
If the development and deployment of AI is controlled by a small number of companies, it will lead to a future in which these companies wield enormous influence over our daily lives and the direction of society as a whole.
The recent news of Amazon investing an additional $2.75 billion in Anthropic, an AI startup known for its work on large language models and AI safety, has highlighted an increasingly worrying trend - the concentration of AI power in the hands of a small number of large tech companies.
This investment is just the latest in a series of moves by big tech companies to acquire or invest heavily in leading AI startups. Microsoft, for example, has partnered with OpenAI, the creators of the hugely popular GPT language models, while Google acquired DeepMind, an AI research company, back in 2014. These investments and acquisitions, combined with their own internal R&D, have allowed the tech giants to rapidly expand their AI capabilities and cement their positions as leaders in the field.
While the concentration of AI power in a few large companies may seem like a natural consequence of the high infrastructure costs and technical expertise required to develop cutting-edge AI systems, it raises serious concerns for both enterprise and society as a whole.
For enterprise, the concentration of AI power means an increasing dependency on a small number of vendors for their AI needs. This will lead to vendor lock-in, reduced bargaining power, and higher costs. Additionally, as these tech giants continue to expand their AI offerings, they will begin to compete directly with their enterprise customers in certain markets, creating conflicts of interest.
On a societal level, the concentration of AI power raises even more serious concerns. AI has the potential to transform virtually every aspect of our lives, from healthcare and education to transportation and entertainment. If the development and deployment of AI is controlled by a small number of companies, it will lead to a future in which these companies wield enormous influence over our daily lives and the direction of society as a whole.
To understand the potential risks of this concentration of power, we need only look at the history of the internet where a small number of companies, like Google and Meta, have come to dominate certain parts of the web.
However, the underlying standards and protocols that power the internet remain open and accessible to all. This means that anyone with the necessary skills and resources can create a new website or online service that challenges the incumbents and offers users new and innovative features.
Fortunately, there are similar efforts underway to create more open and decentralised AI ecosystems. Somewhat ironically, Meta has led the charge so far by releasing best-in-class open source AI models and tools, allowing for greater collaboration and innovation by a wider range of actors. These efforts should be praised and supported by the enterprise community, as they help to ensure that the benefits of AI are more widely distributed and not concentrated in the hands of a few powerful companies.
However, more needs to be done. Enterprise must take an active role in supporting open source AI initiatives and pushing back against the concentration of AI power. This should include investing in open source AI projects, collaborating with academic institutions and other organisations to develop new AI tools, and advocating for policies that promote competition and prevent the emergence of AI monopolies.
By working together to create open and accessible AI ecosystems, we can ensure that the benefits of this technology are widely distributed and that its development serves the interests of society as a whole. This will require a concerted effort from enterprise, academia, government, and civil society, but the stakes are too high to leave the future of AI in the hands of a few powerful companies. With the right approach, we can create a future in which AI enhances rather than diminishes our individual and collective agency, and in which its transformative potential is harnessed for the greater good.
Euan Wielewski is an AI & machine learning leader with deep expertise of deploying AI solutions in enterprise environments. Euan has a PhD from the University of Oxford and leads the Applied AI team at NatWest Group.
Want to chat to Euan about AI? Click the button below to arrange a call.