The Competition Commission of India (CCI) on Monday kick-started a process to assess the impact of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) on the goods and services markets.
The regulator has invited proposals for a market study, which will help it shape a strategy for fostering innovation and fair competition.
The study on “artificial intelligence and competition in India” will focus on all competition-related aspects within the AI ecosystems, including generative AI, and the potential impact of AI on the efficiency and innovation in key industries.
“There may be concerns with regard to potential competition risks stemming from the use of AI. The proposed study will be a knowledge-building exercise to develop an in-depth understanding of the emerging competition dynamics in the development ecosystems of AI systems,” the proposal stated.
According to the proposal, the study will gather data from various stakeholders such as technology firms, start-ups, independent developers, AI development platforms, innovators, investors, and industry associations.
Experts said the proposed market study is a timely step by the CCI. “The proposal denotes the forward-looking approach of CCI to understand the new issues/markets that are likely to emerge from the growing application of AI in the digital markets. This is perhaps the best time to conduct such a study since many of the new technologies are still at a nascent stage,” said M M Sharma, head of competition law at Vaish Associates Advocates.
The last date for submitting the bids for the study is June 3 and the financial bids will be opened on June 28. The proposal has outlined a step-by-step methodology to conduct the study which includes collating existing research and secondary data followed by survey and interviews with key stakeholders and compilation and analysis of the information gathered. The nominated agency will also have to prepare an interim report before submitting the final report to the CCI.
The market study is the latest attempt by the antitrust regulator to strengthen its capabilities in the technology sector. In 2023, the CCI had formed an in-house digital markets and data unit. Recently, the CCI had floated the draft Digital Competition Bill 2024 which aims to introduce ex-ante regulations for the big tech firms in India.
