After Meta entry: Google apparently withdraws from Scale AI as a customer
This week, the Meta Group acquired a 49% stake in Scale AI. This has apparently also had an impact on the rest of the Scale customer base.
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According to a media report, Google wants to massively reduce its expenditure at Scale AI. This week, the Meta Group acquired 49% of the shares in the second company – for a total of 14.1 billion US dollars. Scale AI acts as a service provider to train AI models for specific tasks. Its customers include tech companies, but also industrial groups and governments, for example.
Google actually wanted to spend 200 million US dollars this year as a customer of Scale AI, reports the news agency Reuters. However, the journalists claim to have learned from informed sources that the tech company is now in talks with Scale's competitors to end its customer relationship with Scale.
Apparently similar plans at Microsoft
According to the report, Microsoft is considering similar plans and OpenAI is said to have made a similar decision several months ago. However, the AI manufacturer will continue to work with Scale AI to a lesser extent.
Developers of generative AI models are also Scale AI's biggest customers because they need access to specialists who can prepare the training data for their models. Service providers such as Scale also play an important role for the developers of self-driving cars. The US government is also one of Scale's customers and, according to Reuters, will continue to be.
Google itself did not want to comment on the development to Reuters, nor did Scale AI. However, a Scale spokesperson emphasized that business was still going well and that Scale AI would continue to operate as an independent company.
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Earlier this week, rumors had been confirmed that Meta was investing 14.3 billion US dollars in Scale AI to remain at the forefront of the AI race. Alexandr Wang, founder and CEO of Scale, will reportedly report directly to Mark Zuckerberg, but will remain on Scale AI's supervisory board. He is to lead a new AI team at Meta. By acquiring only 49% of Scale AI, Meta secures the company's AI expertise on the one hand, but avoids competition law requirements on the other. Nevertheless, it is possible that the US competition authority will take a closer look at the deal.
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