The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has launched an informal investigation into Amazon's most recent agreement with AI startup Adept, which was disclosed in June 2024. This agreement involves Amazon hiring key executives, including Adept Co-Founder and CEO David Luan, and licensing Adept's technology, multimodal models, and datasets. The inquiry aims to gather more information about the arrangement, reflecting heightened regulatory scrutiny of tech companies’ investments and partnerships with AI startups.
The FTC's inquiry into Amazon's deal with Adept is part of a broader examination of AI-related transactions by major tech firms. Earlier in 2024, the FTC announced investigations into recent AI agreements by Amazon, Alphabet, and Microsoft. Additionally, the Department of Justice is conducting an examination of Nvidia. The UK's competition watchdog is probing Microsoft's hiring practices from startup Inflection AI, highlighting concerns that such partnerships might enable tech giants to dominate emerging AI markets. Lawmakers, including Senator Ron Wyden, have criticized deals like Amazon's with Adept, suggesting they may be attempts to circumvent antitrust scrutiny. Amazon's collaboration with Adept aligns with its broader strategy, which includes significant investments in AI, such as its stake in Anthropic and the development of generative AI products.
