From ALM Law.com
Is Big Tech’s Cloud Dominance Scary or Impressive?
By Maria Dinzeo
The machine learning revolution has produced hundreds of artificial intelligence startups, but experts warn that putting all the power in the hands of a few big cloud providers to host their data will be terrible for society and the economy.
“AI is now the leading application shaping competition, and increasingly security, in the cloud,” said Steven Weber, faculty director for the UC Berkeley Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity.
“It’s smart business for big tech firms with amazing cloud businesses to invest in AI startups,” Weber said. “On the other hand, it concerns me when those investments come in the form of cloud credits that are tied to a particular cloud provider and its architecture, rather than the more conventional sort of investment you might see from a venture investor. That kind of subsidy has the effect of tying a particular companies’ set of AI models to a particular cloud provider...”
Steven Weber is a professor emeritus of the I School, retiring in 2021. He previously served as the faculty director at the Center for Long Term Cybersecurity (CLTC).
