In a synchronised decision that highlights growing concerns about the accumulation of power within the artificial intelligence industry, authorities in the United States and the European Union declared on January 10, 2026, that new antitrust investigations would be instituted against the largest technology corporations.
The studies are based on accusations that the major participants are stifling competition through unfair practices in the development of AI, data use, and market access. This trend is being run alongside escalating tensions between governments and Big Tech as AI technologies continue to serve as the foundation of both global economics and everyday life.
The two announcements were made independently but within hours of each other, indicating transatlantic concurrence in addressing what the officials term systemic risks to innovation and consumer choice.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in Washington, and the European Commission in Brussels, both announced plans to investigate partnerships and investments in AI infrastructure, and both added to their existing work with new inquiries into data monopolies and algorithmic biases.
Growing Fears of Concentrations in the AI market
The AI market has experienced tremendous growth in recent years, and large segments are dominated by a few companies. Companies such as Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Amazon have deployed AI research, cloud computing, and data centres to the tune of billions of dollars, building ecosystems that other firms are unable to break into.
Regulators state that such dominance enables these giants to impose their will not only through access to training data but also through the implementation of AI models, which can negatively affect both startups and end-users.
In the US, the investigations are based on what has already been done, such as the research into AI alliances declared in mid-2025. Authorities identify the way in which tech giants have purchased startups or made unequal agreements that enable them to secure a market share.
To illustrate, the development of investments in AI chip production and generative models has raised concerns about vertical integration, in which businesses dominate from hardware to software provision. In a press release, FTC Chairwoman Lina Khan pointed out that AI should be used to benefit everyone, not limited to corporations with unparalleled access to data and computing capabilities.
The actions of the EU can be traced across the Atlantic, as the EU has been aggressive in its Digital Markets Act and AI Act, both of which seek to promote fair competition. The recent inquiries by the Commission are aimed at the illegal use of web-based content in AI training and at limits on third parties’ access to platforms.
This is after December 2025 investigations into WhatsApp policies of Meta and Google policies on content scraping, but the new phase extends the investigation to the new challenges, such as AI-driven pricing algorithms that may enable collusion.
The Description of the New Investigations
The US probe, internally referred to as Operation AI Guardrails, will focus on how leading companies use their cloud solutions to promote proprietary AI tools over competitors. The DOJ will subpoena the records of key players, and the areas it will look into include mergers that might have gone unnoticed by the antitrust division, such as Microsoft and OpenAI, as well as Amazon’s acquisitions of robotics companies. One such concern is the so-called kill zone effect, in which startups are discouraged from innovating because they might be acquired or destroyed by existing companies.
The Commission in the EU is focusing on data dominance, where firms scrape huge amounts of data from the internet without compensating those who created it. The new regulations under the AI Act, which will be fully enforced in August 2026, demand transparency in model training, a transparency that regulators believe is already widespread. The probes will also determine whether AI systems reinforce biases in favour of some markets/demographics, which may be against competition regulations by promoting uneven playing fields.
Both areas are also cooperating unofficially, exchanging evidence to prevent jurisdictional overlap. It is viewed as a reaction to global threats, such as China rapidly developing AI, which some fear may surpass Western progress without maintaining competition.
Reactions from Tech Giants
Technology firms have reacted both in opposition and in appeal to discuss. Google released a statement to justify the practices, saying that unlimited access to data leads to innovation, and that restrictions will slow the socially beneficial aspects of AI. Meta, which has already been targeted due to its messaging app policies, promised to cooperate but cautioned that over-regulation would drain talent and investment to foreign countries. Microsoft emphasised its ethical AI, whereas Amazon emphasised the economic value of its cloud unit.
Industry organisations, such as the Chamber of Progress, sounded warnings, arguing that an ambitious implementation could kill the innovation that regulators are meant to safeguard. Nevertheless, the steps were celebrated by consumer advocates and smaller AI companies, with one of the startup CEOs saying, anonymously, that otherwise the market would continue to become increasingly concentrated and independents would be swept away.
What It Means to the AI Industry
Such studies would transform the world of AI. The possible results are forced divestitures, mandatory data sharing, or billions in fines. For business organisations that depend on AI, this implies an increased number of questions about supply chains and alliances. Developers might have to make their data more diverse, and investors will have to undergo tighter reviews of mergers.
In a larger perspective, the investigations outline the conflict between blistering technological development and control. The use of AI in the medical field, the financial sector, and even military defence only increases the stakes, as unregulated control and dominance over these areas may lead to weaknesses in essential infrastructure.
International Implications and Prospects
Other countries are also keeping an eye on what is happening outside the US and the EU. The Competition and Markets Authority in the UK has threatened to do the same, and preliminary reviews are underway in India and Brazil. This has a worldwide cascading impact that might result in standardised standards, but could also lead to a fragmented market if regulations differ.
The issue of fair play versus the creation of AI will be tested as 2026 unfolds. Regulators are insistent that they do not want to block progress, but democratise it. It is yet to be established whether this will result in a more competitive AI ecosystem or a regulatory quagmire, but today’s announcements are a landmark in the current struggle about the future of technology.
Ultimately, such inquiries do raise a fundamental question: Who owns AI, and on behalf of whom? The answers have the potential to transform the digital economy for generations as investigations continue.