On September 29th, Keystone hosted members of the academic and legal community in London for to discuss Artificial Intelligence and Shifting Global Competition Policy.

Our keynote speaker was Susan Athey, Chief Scientific Officer at Keystone and Economics of Technology professor at Stanford GSB. She previously served as Chief Economist at both the U.S. DOJ Antitrust Division and Microsoft. She has frequently written and spoken on AI and competition and the economics of platforms. Our fireside panelists were Jonathan Kanter (former Assistant Attorney General, US DOJ Antitrust Division), Doha Mekki (former Acting Assistant Attorney General, US DOJ Antitrust Division) and Andrea Coscelli (Head of Keystone Europe and former CEO of the Competition and Markets Authority).

Our speakers highlighted that while some of today’s major tech companies are likely to remain powerful, the diversity of consumer and enterprise needs, combined with the challenges of meeting them all in a single product, suggest that the future of AI will be shaped by multiple global players rather than a single dominant one. This pluralism is also likely to be reinforced by ongoing geopolitical rivalries, which will continue to drive countries to develop and promote their own products and systems. At the same time, speakers highlighted the risks of monopolization and emphasized the importance of timely antitrust responses to keep markets open and competitive.

Effective antitrust, they argued, is forward-looking. It does not only remedy past misconduct but anticipates future market distortions and ensures that tomorrow’s markets remain contestable – something that requires a multidisciplinary approach to antitrust and competition.

We hope the discussion sparked ideas and perspectives that will carry forward. Please contact us to make sure you are included for future events.