(Bloomberg) -- The European Union’s antitrust chief said watchdogs are looking to quickly wrap up a preliminary probe of Microsoft Corp.’s relationship with OpenAI and warned that regulators are “vigilant” of other AI investments by Big Tech.  

The EU began examining in January whether Microsoft’s $13 billion investment into OpenAI should be vetted under EU merger rules, opening the risk of a full-blown investigation.

While there’s no fixed timeline, Margrethe Vestager said in an interview on Bloomberg TV that her team “will be getting there soon.” She said Brussels watchdogs have also been “comparing notes with other authorities.” 

Read More: Big Tech’s AI Investments Become Real Concern for UK Watchdog

Vestager said the EU — like other jurisdictions — is taking a close look not only at Microsoft but at other investments by large tech firms into AI.

Microsoft is OpenAI’s biggest backer, has invested in French AI startup Mistral and recently hired most of the team from Inflection AI. But Alphabet Inc.’s Google, owner of the AI lab DeepMind, has invested in OpenAI rival Anthropic, as has Amazon.com Inc. Chipmaker Nvidia Corp. has backed dozens of startups, including large language model startup Cohere. 

“We will be having a vigilant, keen attention to what is happening in this field,” she said. “It’s basically a new world that we’re looking into” and regulators need “to make sure it’s a competitive new world.”

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