In a recent turn of events, the California Attorney General has sent a letter to Meta, formerly known as Facebook, demanding information regarding their financial and service relation with OpenAI, the artificial intelligence research lab. The AG's office is reportedly seeking information on the contracts and services between Meta and OpenAI.
OpenAI was initially launched as a non-profit entity by Elon Musk and other well-known tech figures. However, it transitioned to a capped-profit model in 2019, a move that drew criticism from various quarters. The capped-profit model allows for investment returns to be shared among the company's employees and investors, albeit with a certain cap.
The letter from the AG's office comes in the backdrop of Meta's announcement about building a new AI research supercomputer. The tech giant has stated that it is seeking to advance the field of artificial intelligence and build on OpenAI's transformer models. However, the AG's office is probing the nature of the relationship between Meta and OpenAI.
The AG's letter reportedly asks for contracts, agreements, and any communications between Meta and OpenAI. The focus seems to be on whether Meta is gaining some form of monopolistic advantage through its relationship with the research lab. This adds another dimension to the scrutiny that tech giants like Meta are already facing from regulators around the world regarding their dominance and business practices.
While Meta and OpenAI have yet to respond to the AG's letter, it is clear that the relationship between tech companies and AI research labs is under the regulatory spotlight. The outcome of this probe could potentially reshape the way tech companies engage with AI research institutions in the future.