Meta May Be Latest to Join Big Tech Kingmakers For AI Startups
Bloomberg
Published 9 Jun 2025, 08:54 PM IST
(Bloomberg) -- Behind almost every leading artificial intelligence startup, you'll find a tech giant fueling its rise.
Microsoft Corp., Alphabet Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. have invested billions in the top artificial intelligence startups, supercharging the fast-growing AI sector and establishing the old guard of technology companies as kingmakers for a new generation of businesses. Meta Platforms Inc. is set to join the fray: The social-media giant is in talks to make a multibillion-dollar investment into artificial intelligence startup Scale AI, Bloomberg News reported over the weekend.
The deals have attracted their fair share of scrutiny. Governments including the US, the UK and the European Union have reviewed some of these investments and partnerships, with some companies receiving requests about how such arrangements may affect the competitive landscape for AI development.
Microsoft is arguably the company that touched off the race among tech giants to partner with leading AI startups, paving the way with its $13 billion bet on OpenAI. Salesforce Inc. led a round in Hugging Face at a $4.5 billion valuation. Alphabet and Amazon.com have invested billions in OpenAI rival Anthropic. And Nvidia Corp. seemed to back almost every AI startup of note.
For AI companies, these deals with Big Tech can serve as a vital lifeline. It's extremely costly and computationally intensive to build large language models, the technology that underpins AI chatbots like ChatGPT. The tech giants are among the only companies with the infrastructure and funds to support these efforts.
--With assistance from Leah Nylen.
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
41 minutes ago
- Time of India
Apple WWDC 2025 Highlights - Check everything that happened
Apple at WWDC 2025 has unveiled upgrades to operating systems across its devices on Monday, including overhauled visual elements, a fresh naming system for software updates and new features in its Apple Intelligence suite. At its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, the company also said it would open up the underlying technology it uses for Apple Intelligence to developers. Operating Systems This year's major iOS release would have originally been called iOS 19, following the usual sequence after iOS 18. However, Apple is now changing its naming convention: future iOS versions will be numbered based on the year following their release—similar to how car manufacturers name new models. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Costco Shoppers Say This Wrinkle Cream Is "Actually Worth It" The Skincare Magazine Undo Several parts of the operating systems are getting a major visual overhaul as part of the redesign. The Phone app now includes call screening, allowing it to answer calls or wait on hold for you. The Messages app is also getting updates that include customizable chat backgrounds. Apple also said it would add generative AI to its Xcode coding tools that can help developers write code, test it and resolve errors. The company said it would add other coding models such as ChatGPT to Xcode. Live Events Apple AI New additions to the operating system include Live Translation, which uses on-device AI models to translate conversations in real time, in text messages, phone calls or FaceTime. Apple Pay is also getting Apple Intelligence integration, enabling it to track orders even for purchases made outside Apple Pay. Meanwhile, Image Playground is getting a boost with a new feature that allows users to generate images with the help of OpenAI's ChatGPT. Apple will now allow developers to tap into its on-device foundational model for their own apps. Through the new Foundation Models framework, developers can build intelligent, privacy-focused experiences that work offline too. Apple Visual Intelligence Apple will also let users learn more about what's on their iPhone screens via Visual Intelligence. Users can search across Google, Etsy and other supported apps to find visually similar images or products. If the tool detects that you're viewing an event, iOS 26 will suggest adding it to your calendar. This feature will be accessible using the same button combination used to take a screenshot on an iPhone. Apple Liquid Glass Apple is rolling out a new "Liquid Glass" design language across its software, bringing sleek translucence and a glass-like shine to app interfaces. Inspired by visionOS on the Vision Pro augmented reality device, the design adapts to light and dark modes and reacts dynamically to movement using real-time rendering. The new design will be implemented in buttons, sliders, media controls and larger elements such as tab bars and sidebars, along with matching redesigned toolbars and navigation. Apple is releasing updated Application Programming Interfaces so that developers can begin adapting their apps ahead of the new design rollout later this year. FAQs Q1. When did Apple WWDC 2025 happen? A1. Apple WWDC 2025 happened on June 9, 2025. Q2. Is there any new announcement in Apple WWDC 2025? A2. Yes, there are new announcements in Apple WWDC 2025.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
WWDC 2025: Apple announces new features for Apple Intelligence
Apple on Monday announced significant updates for Apple Intelligence , adding new AI-powered features to iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Vision Pro. At its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) event, Apple said these new features run on-device, meaning they don't require an internet connection and offer enhanced data security. Developers can also integrate Apple's on-device AI model into their apps starting today. Here are the key features introduced with Apple Intelligence: Live Translation : Apple Intelligence now includes live translation for messages and phone calls. It supports eight new languages, including traditional Chinese, Turkish, and Portuguese. This allows real-time translation of typed or spoken content in Messages, FaceTime, and Phone apps. Genmoji and Image Playground: Apple introduced Genmoji and Image Playground for creating customised emojis and illustrations from text descriptions. Apple partnered with OpenAI's ChatGPT for artistic styles like oil painting and vector art. Live Events Workout Buddy on Apple Watch: The Apple Watch now features "Workout Buddy," a personalised fitness assistant. Powered by Apple Intelligence, it uses your history and preferences to provide real-time motivational insights during workouts. Discover the stories of your interest Blockchain 5 Stories Cyber-safety 7 Stories Fintech 9 Stories E-comm 9 Stories ML 8 Stories Edtech 6 Stories Apple also stated that Apple Intelligence features will support eight more languages by the end of 2025, including Dutch, Swedish, and Vietnamese. These features are available to developers for testing now and will roll out to users soon.
NDTV
an hour ago
- NDTV
Getty Argues Its Landmark UK Copyright Case Does Not Threaten AI
London: Getty Images' landmark copyright lawsuit against artificial intelligence company Stability AI began at London's High Court on Monday, with Getty rejecting Stability AI's contention the case posed a threat to the generative AI industry. Seattle-based Getty, which produces editorial content and creative stock images and video, accuses Stability AI of using its images to "train" its Stable Diffusion system, which can generate images from text inputs. Getty, which is bringing a parallel lawsuit against Stability AI in the United States, says Stability AI unlawfully scraped millions of images from its websites and used them to train and develop Stable Diffusion. Stability AI - which has raised hundreds of millions of dollars in funding and in March announced investment by the world's largest advertising company, WPP - is fighting the case and denies infringing any of Getty's rights. Before the trial began on Monday, Stability AI's spokesperson said "the wider dispute is about technological innovation and freedom of ideas". "Artists using our tools are producing works built upon collective human knowledge, which is at the core of fair use and freedom of expression," the spokesperson said. In court filings, Stability AI lawyer Hugo Cuddigan said Getty's lawsuit posed "an overt threat to Stability's whole business and the wider generative AI industry". Getty's lawyers said that argument was incorrect and their case was about upholding intellectual property rights. "It is not a battle between creatives and technology, where a win for Getty Images means the end of AI," Getty's lawyer Lindsay Lane told the court. She added: "The two industries can exist in synergistic harmony because copyright works and database rights are critical to the advancement and success of AI ... the problem is when AI companies such as Stability want to use those works without payment." WIDER IMPACT Getty's case is one of several lawsuits brought in Britain, the U.S. and elsewhere over the use of copyright-protected material to train AI models, after ChatGPT and other AI tools became widely available more than two years ago. Creative industries are grappling with the legal and ethical implications of AI models that can produce their own work after being trained on existing material. Prominent figures including Elton John have called for greater protections for artists. Lawyers say Getty's case will have a major impact on the law, as well as potentially informing government policy on copyright protections relating to AI. "Legally, we're in uncharted territory. This case will be pivotal in setting the boundaries of the monopoly granted by UK copyright in the age of AI," Rebecca Newman, a lawyer at Addleshaw Goddard, who is not involved in the case, said. Cerys Wyn Davies, from the law firm Pinsent Masons, said the High Court's ruling "could have a major bearing on market practice and the UK's attractiveness as a jurisdiction for AI development".
