The Bundeskartellamt convened an expert roundtable today, inviting 14 representatives from various companies and associations in Germany to discuss the implications of artificial intelligence (AI) on competition and market restrictions. The event was led by Andreas Mundt, the president of the authority, and Prof. Dr. Konrad Ost, the vice president.

During the discussions, Mundt highlighted the competitive risks posed by the market presence of Big Tech companies, noting that smaller competitors may face dependencies on cloud services and data access, leading to potential lock-ins within specific ecosystems. He emphasized the importance of identifying abuse potentials early and ensuring open markets for AI.

The Bundeskartellamt has been examining competition law issues in the digital sector for several years, with AI emerging as a key technology of focus. The authority noted that several stages of the AI value chain are dominated by a few large digital corporations, which possess the necessary computing power and high-quality data for AI model development.

Discussion topics included the challenges faced by competitors of major cloud service providers like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, and Google, which play a crucial role in providing the computing power and infrastructure needed for AI model training and deployment. The roundtable also explored competitive conditions for the development and provision of foundation models, including whether scarce inputs like data create barriers to market entry.

Additionally, the importance of cooperation between AI and cloud providers was discussed, along with the use of AI applications in businesses and the development of applications such as AI agents for end-users. Participants included representatives from companies such as adesso, Aleph Alpha, Axel Springer, Bosch, and others, as well as officials from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy.