Business | Schumpeter

Is artificial intelligence making big tech too big?

Previous scares have been overblown. This one might not be

Illustration: Brett Ryder

When ChatGPT took everyone by storm in November 2022, it was OpenAI, the startup behind it, that seized the business world’s attention. But, as usual, big tech is back on the front foot. Nvidia, maker of accelerator chips that are at the core of generative artificial intelligence (AI), is duelling with Microsoft, a tech giant of longer standing, to be the world’s most valuable company. Like Microsoft, it is investing in a diverse ecosystem of startups that it hopes will strengthen its lead. Predictably, given the “techlash” mindset of the regulatory authorities, both firms are high on the watch list of antitrust agencies.

Explore more

This article appeared in the Business section of the print edition under the headline “Overreachers v overlords ”

From the June 29th 2024 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

Discover more

Elon Musk looks on during a conference.

Elon Musk’s xAI goes after OpenAI

The fight is turning nasty

A man waitiing for the lift, which is full of people.

How to behave in lifts: an office guide

Life in an elevator



Gautam Adani faces bribery charges in America

Prosecutors allege one of India’s richest men paid off local officials

Nvidia’s boss dismisses fears that AI has hit a wall

But it’s “urgent” to get to the next level, Jensen Huang tells The Economist

Does Dallas offer a vision of America’s future?

The Texan city embodies the allure of small government