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Over-regulating Big Tech is a risk to British AI startups 

CMA Big Tech AI regulation
Image credit: mundissima / Shutterstock

At the UK’s inaugural AI Safety Summit last November, it felt like the government was staking a claim for national AI leadership. That was followed up some months later when the government set out a “pro-innovation” approach to regulating AI. The mood music was one of enthusiasm for AI.

There’s been something of a shift in recent months. An eagerness to nurture the nascent AI ecosystem has given way to increased scrutiny and caution with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launching multiple investigations into potential anti-competitive activity in AI’s development – warning of an “interconnected web” of tech firms shaping the market.

This isn’t as simple as one-way regulatory pressure. The CMA’s recent decision to drop an investigation into the partnership between Mistral and Microsoft demonstrated flexibility....