Microsoft has given up its board observer seat at OpenAI in a move aimed at easing U.S. and U.K. antitrust regulators' concerns about the extent of its control over the artificial intelligence startup amid the soaring popularity of generative AI.
But the change is unlikely to resolve concerns by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, a source at the agency said on Wednesday. The FTC is conducting an antitrust review of deals by Big Tech firms and top AI companies.
The move shows Microsoft sees significant potential antitrust exposure and is trying to get ahead of it, the FTC source said.