- Storm Helene kills 44, threatens more 'catastrophic' flooding
- Boeing strike grinds on as latest talks fail to reach agreement
- Iran 'news' sites, hackers target Trump ahead of US election
- US ports brace for potential dockworkers strike
- Japan's speedy, spotless Shinkansen bullet trains turn 60
- US hurricane deaths rise to 44, fears of more 'catastrophic' flooding
- Global stocks mostly rise, cheering Beijing stimulus
- Europe en route for Moon with new simulator, says astronaut Pesquet
- Fireworks forecast if comet survives risky Sun flypast
- Argentina judge orders dictionary to delete pejorative definition of 'Jewish'
- Global stocks rise on rate hopes, Beijing stimulus
- S.African woman turns 118, among the oldest in the world
- UK clears $4 bn AI partnership between Amazon, Anthropic
- Barca fans barred from Champions League away game over racist banner
- Chinese stocks extend surge, Europe higher on Beijing stimulus
- Pope says Church must 'seek forgiveness' for child sexual abuse
- China caps week of 'bazooka' stimulus for ailing economy with rate cut
- Cuts, cash, credit: China bids to jumpstart flagging economy
- France's debt weighs heavier ahead of budget debate
- Iran treads carefully, backing Hezbollah while avoiding war
- Return to sender: waste stranded at sea stirs toxic dispute
- 'Broken' news industry faces uncertain future
- On remote Greek island, migratory birds offer climate clues
- Taken from mother by nuns, victim seeks answers as pope visits Belgium
- China cuts amount banks hold in reserve to boost lending
- Hong Kong, Shanghai extend surge as China optimism boosts markets
- Vietnam president reiterates support for Cuba during official visit
- Drought reduces Amazon River in Colombia by as much as 90%: report
- Stay or go? Pacific Islanders face climate's grim choice
- Florida bracing for 'unsurvivable' Hurricane Helene
- Poverty rises to over 52 percent in Milei's Argentina
- Chloe's see-through look may not be for Kamala Harris
- Champagne houses abuzz over English sparkling wine
- Macron, Trudeau pledge to work for 'decarbonized' economies
- Hurricanes, storms, typhoons... Is September wetter than usual?
- China stimulus, tech optimism boost stock markets
- 'Unsurvivable' Hurricane Helene races towards Florida
- Macron meets Trudeau in Canada as both face political setbacks
- South Korea surges in UN innovation index
- Chloe's see-through look may not be for Kamala
- Floods threaten Niger's historic 'gateway to the desert'
- China economy hopes boost global equities
- Ubisoft shares sink after 'Assassin's Creed' delay
- German economy to shrink again in 2024: think tanks
- Hong Kong's New World Development replaces CEO Adrian Cheng
- Swiss central bank cuts rate again amid strong franc worries
- Germany's BASF to focus on 'core units' in major overhaul
- China admits economy facing new 'problems', vows to fix property sector
- Stock markets boosted by China hopes, tech rally
- Bangladesh revolution sparks new hopes among Rohingya
Microsoft gives up OpenAI board seat amid regulator scrutiny
Microsoft has ditched plans to take up an observer seat on the board of ChatGPT maker OpenAI, according to a letter seen by AFP on Wednesday, as antitrust regulators step up their scrutiny of the artificial intelligence market.
Microsoft's $13-billion tie-up with OpenAI has raised concerns on both sides of the Atlantic about just how much influence it has over its smaller partner.
Regulators began examining the partnership after an abortive boardroom coup last year against OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, whom Microsoft supported and even briefly hired.
It was after the turmoil in OpenAI that Microsoft got a seat on the board as a non-voting observer that it is now giving up.
Microsoft's withdrawal is "effective immediately", the letter said.
"Over the past eight months we have witnessed significant progress by the newly formed board and are confident in the company's direction," Microsoft wrote to OpenAI in the letter sent on Tuesday.
"We no longer believe our limited role as an observer is necessary."
The European Commission, the EU's influential antitrust regulator, last month concluded after a preliminary examination that Microsoft's investment did not mean it had taken control of OpenAI.
But Microsoft was still under examination over the observer seat on the board from British competition regulators, and faced a potential antitrust probe in the United States.
When OpenAI's ChatGPT chatbot hit the scene in November 2022, it marked the popular arrival of the AI revolution.
Media reports said Apple had similarly given up the chance to sit on OpenAI's board, but the iPhone maker was not immediately available for comment.
EU competition chief, Margrethe Vestager, has put big tech on alert over investments in the fast-growing AI market and insisted that the EU continues to keep an eye over the sector.
Brussels is now seeking more information from Microsoft about the agreement with OpenAI, Vestager said on June 28, to understand whether "certain exclusivity clauses could have a negative effect on competition".
Y.Tengku--CPN