"Man Controlling Trade," installed at the FTC building in 1942. Sculpted by Michael Lantz.*
The Intersection of Artificial Intelligence and Antitrust
Dealmaking in the AI space, which started more than a decade ago, is brisk. We have ben covering it from the perspective of mergers and acquisitions, litigation, and legislation. Our acquisitions piece has an new interactive deal table comprising mergers and acquisitions going back to 2012. The litigation post links to greater detail on 11 noteworthy cases.
Just Updated: Big Tech's Decade of A.I. Shopping
Check out our new interactive artificial intelligence deal table with acquisitions going back to 2012.
More A.I. acquisitions were announced recently, drawing scrutiny from the DOJ Antitrust Division. Read our posts on the Google-Wiz and the ServiceNow-Moveworks deals. These deals and the government’s attention underscore the significant and routine nature of investments being made by major tech companies, large service providers, and private equity. Acquisition appears to be the leading strategy for building corporate leadership in this arena; Diana L. Moss and David Hummel of the Progressive Policy Institute wrote in 2022 that digital ecosystems mostly grew this way. The trend continues.
Screenshot of Mogin Law's Interactive Artificial Intelligence Deal Table
Acquisition of AI tech gives existing corporate giants even more power in their respective markets and even greater control over much of the world’s data, potentially at the expense of consumers, innovation, and fair market competition. Rapid acquisition also means that while innovation abounds, it offers a quicker and more available path for large players. That means smaller firms are doing a lot of innovation’s heavy lifting or, unable to compete or get acquired, getting shut out.
Policymakers, regulators, enforcers, and antitrust attorneys have much to tackle during this whirlwind of advancement and dealing. The AI goldrush is likely to further consolidate the collection, creation, and control of data among these already data-rich and powerful Goliaths. We fail to keep them in check at our peril.
Read on for our growing list of A.I. deals. Feel free to share any we've missed.
A.I. Antitrust and Copyright Litigation: The First Wave
Google now faces antitrust allegations in the U.S. and Europe over use of proprietary data to train its A.I. models.
Google is forcing publishers to provide proprietary content without compensation to train its artificial intelligence models, according to an antitrust complaint filed on June 9 in federal court in Washington, D.C., by Chegg, Inc., a prominent provider of online educational resources. The publisher alleges multiple violations of the Sherman Act and accuses Google of unjust enrichment. The case centers on Google’s use of Chegg’s proprietary educational content to train its AI models and generate AI-powered search results, such as AI Overviews, without compensation. These practices harm competition, reduce traffic to publishers’ websites, and threaten the production of high-quality educational content, the suit says, adding that Google is abusing its monopoly in General Search Services to coerce publishers into providing content for these purposes. This conduct undermines the digital publishing ecosystem, depriving publishers of revenue and consumers of reliable information. According to a report from Reuters, Google is facing the same allegations in Europe.
Read on for coverage of 11 antitrust and copyright infringement cases, including several on algorithmic pricing.
A.I. Legislative Update
Laws and bills have been enacted and proposed at all levels of government, with some drawing a bead on algorithmic pricing.
As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to transform industries, states and local governments are stepping up to regulate its use, hoping to ensure ethical deployment and consumer protection. Laws were recently enacted in Colorado and Texas, going live in February 2026 and September 2025, respectively. Of the two, Colorado’s legislation is more detailed and narrowly focused on high-risk systems, with stringent requirements for developers and deployers. The Texas law is broader, emphasizing transparency and accountability for businesses using AI, but with fewer specific mandates. Meanwhile, efforts to regulate AI are under way across the country at federal, state, and local levels. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), 28 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands have enacted more than 75 AI-related measures this year.
Note: The so-called "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" (H.R.1) — a major budget reconciliation bill signed into law by President Trump on July 4, 2025 — originally included a controversial provision to pause all A.I. regulation. Facing pushback, the provision was removed before final passage, so states remain free to regulate the use of A.I., including in the context of employment (where claims of discrimination are being litigated), education, and consumer protection.
Read on for the legislative focus on algorithmic pricing and implications for companies.
Also ...
In addition to our coverage of artificial intelligence, read our updates on the "monopoly broth" case being briefed to the Supreme Court which has the potential to dramatically expand antitrust litigation, and the politically infused Paramount-Skydance merger valued at between $4B and $8B.
Thank you for reading and subscribing!
We will continue to share our updates on JD Supra. You also can subscribe to it on LinkedIn.
* Michael Lantz, who sculpted the powerful FTC statue portrayed in our banner, was not the only artist in his family. His brother, Walter, was the creator of Woody Woodpecker, an equally powerful character.
