To address the European Commission’s ongoing consultation on generative artificial intelligence (AI), Microsoft has underscored Google’s formidable position in the field. The tech giant has emphasized Google’s competitive edge, which is attributed to its extensive data repository and AI-optimized chips. Microsoft’s response highlights the intensifying rivalry between the two industry behemoths.
Google’s vertical integration and data advantage
Microsoft’s report to the European Commission accentuates Google’s vertical integration across various AI layers, ranging from semiconductor production to a robust mobile app store. Unlike other players, Google enjoys independence and strength at every level, granting it a significant advantage. The report singles out Google’s proprietary data trove, drawn from sources like the Google Search Index and YouTube, as pivotal in training its sophisticated language models, such as Gemini.
The popularity of generative AI has prompted apprehensions regarding its potential misuse, particularly in propagating misinformation and fake news. With examples like Microsoft-backed OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini, concerns about disseminating misleading content have come to the fore. Microsoft’s submission underscores the need for vigilant oversight amid the proliferation of generative AI technologies.
Microsoft also highlights the advantage conferred by AI-powered voice assistants, such as Google Assistant and Apple’s Siri, in bolstering the positions of their respective companies in the generative AI landscape. The report suggests that established players like Google and Apple are well-positioned to leverage their existing voice assistant infrastructure to maintain leadership roles in this evolving domain.
Moreover, Microsoft defends the role of partnerships between Big Tech firms and startups in fostering innovation and competition in the AI sector by pointing to examples like Anthropic, Mistral, and Cohere, which have received investments from tech giants like Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Salesforce, and Nvidia, Microsoft advocates for encouraging pro-competitive collaborations to prevent monopolistic tendencies.
