Trump's AI strategy endorses antitrust measures, claims Department of Justice official
Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has emphasised the importance of competition in the artificial intelligence (AI) sector, highlighting that open-source AI models can boost competition, a concept envisioned in President Trump's AI action plan.
Slater underscored that protecting competition in the industry supports innovation, and she warned that the desire to acquire data or deprive rivals of data could drive transactions. She noted that demand for data could drive mergers or business combinations between companies and their suppliers, particularly in industries like healthcare.
In this regard, Slater mentioned that access to data is one area the DOJ will monitor in the AI sector. She also highlighted that the competitive dynamics of each layer of the AI stack and exclusionary behavior are areas of antitrust inquiry.
Recently, a judge in Washington ordered Alphabet's Google to share some of its search data with competitors. Google has stated it will appeal the decision to share its search data. This decision comes as the DOJ is on alert for anticompetitive behavior in the AI sector and is looking out for anticompetitive conduct and consolidation.
The scrutiny of Big Tech partnerships with AI startups has been a focus of antitrust enforcers during President Joe Biden's administration. In Europe, new AI regulations have come into force since August 2025, with potential fines, but no specific company investigations or outcomes are detailed for European AI firms yet.
Slater emphasised that a truly open-source AI model should not be unilaterally maintained by a single vendor exerting unwarranted influence. She spoke about these issues at a conference at Fordham University.
Antitrust enforcers during President Biden's administration have expressed similar concerns about AI competition. In recent months, U.S. government authorities, including the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), have investigated major chatbot developers due to security vulnerabilities and child protection issues. These investigations were triggered by incidents such as a hacker attack on the AI provider Salesloft affecting thousands of business customers, and criticism around Google’s Gemini chatbot being unsafe for children despite protective features.
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