Microsoft Denies Taking Control at OpenAI after UK Review

Microsoft logo.
Microsoft logo.
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Microsoft Denies Taking Control at OpenAI after UK Review

Microsoft logo.
Microsoft logo.

Microsoft denied on Friday that it had taken control of OpenAI after Britain's anti-trust regulator said it was reviewing the nature of their partnership.
"The only thing that has changed is that Microsoft will now have a non-voting observer on OpenAI’s Board, which is very different from an acquisition such as Google’s purchase of DeepMind in the UK," Microsoft President Brad Smith said in a statement.
"We will work closely with the CMA to provide all the information it needs," he said.



Europe Wants to Lighten AI Compliance Burden for Startups

Words reading "Artificial intelligence AI", miniature of robot and toy hand are pictured in this illustration taken December 14, 2023. (Reuters)
Words reading "Artificial intelligence AI", miniature of robot and toy hand are pictured in this illustration taken December 14, 2023. (Reuters)
TT
20

Europe Wants to Lighten AI Compliance Burden for Startups

Words reading "Artificial intelligence AI", miniature of robot and toy hand are pictured in this illustration taken December 14, 2023. (Reuters)
Words reading "Artificial intelligence AI", miniature of robot and toy hand are pictured in this illustration taken December 14, 2023. (Reuters)

The European Commission plans to seek feedback to help lighten the regulatory burden for startups struggling to comply with European Union rules on the use of artificial intelligence, according to a Commission document seen by Reuters.

The move is the latest by the EU executive to water down legislation enacted in recent years following complaints by businesses across Europe about the volume and cost of red tape hampering their operations.

"There is an opportunity to minimize the potential compliance burden of AI Act, particularly for smaller innovators," said the document, the AI Continent Action Plan.

"The Commission aims to build on the first learnings from the current implementation phase and identify further measures that are needed to facilitate a smooth and simple application of the AI Act," it said.

EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen will present the measure on Wednesday.

The 27-country European Union signed off the landmark AI Act last year, a more comprehensive rulebook than the United States' light-touch voluntary compliance approach. China's AI regulations aim to maintain social stability and state control.

The AI Act imposes strict transparency obligations on high-risk AI systems, while the requirements for general-purpose AI models are lighter.