A class action lawsuit has been filed against Microsoft, alleging the technology giant leveraged its cloud infrastructure dominance to artificially constrain computational resources for artificial intelligence applications. The legal complaint asserts this alleged market manipulation created sustained artificial price inflation for OpenAI’s ChatGPT services over nearly three years.
The lawsuit contends Microsoft strategically limited access to critical computing infrastructure necessary for large-scale AI model operations, thereby creating an artificial supply constraint in the AI computational market. This alleged restriction purportedly enabled Microsoft to maintain elevated pricing structures for ChatGPT’s computational requirements despite market conditions that might otherwise have driven costs lower.
Legal representatives for the plaintiffs argue this purported conduct represents an anti-competitive use of Microsoft’s established position in cloud services. The complaint suggests these alleged practices prevented natural market forces from reducing operational expenses for ChatGPT, potentially affecting both enterprise clients and individual users who have utilized the AI platform since its widespread deployment.
The litigation seeks to demonstrate how control over essential cloud computing infrastructure could potentially be leveraged to influence pricing across dependent technologies and services. As the case progresses through the legal system, it may establish important precedents regarding competition within the rapidly evolving cloud computing and artificial intelligence sectors.
