Tech oligopoly intensifies as Anthropic’s AI dominance grows amid unchecked US corporate adoption
Original framing: “Anthropic closes in on OpenAI as US business use surges” — Financial Times
The piece situates Anthropic’s rise within a lineage of technology monopolies, echoing the consolidation of railroads, telecoms, and earlier computing firms. It draws parallels to colonial extraction models where a few actors control critical infrastructure. This historical lens reveals structural continuities that amplify current power imbalances.
The story of Anthropic’s ascent reveals a convergence of historical monopoly patterns, scientific data on venture‑capital capture, and a cultural mythologizing of AI as inevitable progress.
By integrating Indigenous data sovereignty, cross‑cultural governance alternatives, and marginalized labor voices, we expose the ethical blind spots that the trickster lens highlights. Future modelling shows that without regulatory reform and commons‑based infrastructure, the oligopoly will lock in power asymmetries. Systemic solutions that blend data commons, antitrust enforcement, inclusive funding, and labor‑centered certification can re‑balance the AI ecosystem, aligning technological advancement with broader social and ecological values.