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ARTICLE · 18 JULY 2025

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AI And EU Merger Control

WilmerHale
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Global investment in AI surged to approximately USD 252 billion in 2024, representing a thirteen-fold increase since 2014. As AI technologies become deeply embedded across key economic sectors such as finance...

BelgiumTechnology
Cormac O'Daly
Cormac O'Daly
Virginia Del Pozo
Virginia Del Pozo
Itsiq Benizri
Itsiq Benizri
Anastasiia Zeleniuk
Anastasiia Zeleniuk
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Global investment in AI surged to approximately USD 252 billion in 2024, representing a thirteen-fold increase since 2014. As AI technologies become deeply embedded across key economic sectors such as finance, manufacturing, retail, education, energy and healthcare, they are not just transforming business models; they are also increasingly attracting scrutiny from competition authorities. The European Commission (EC) and other key competition regulators have started to assess how AI-driven transactions could impact market dynamics and competitive fairness.

In July 2024, the EC, the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) signed a joint statement on competition in generative AI foundation models and AI products, signalling an intention to align their thinking on key issues, partnerships, financial investments and other connections between firms related to the development of generative AI.

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