In a stunning break from years of cutthroat competition, AI's biggest rivals are joining forces. OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google just announced they're backing F/ai, a new Paris-based startup accelerator that aims to nurture the next generation of AI companies. The collaboration marks a rare moment of détente in an industry better known for courtroom battles and talent poaching wars than cooperation.
OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google don't usually play nice. These companies have spent the past three years locked in an existential race to build artificial general intelligence, sniping at each other's safety records and hoarding computing resources like digital dragons. But something shifted. The announcement of F/ai, a Paris-based startup accelerator backed by all three rivals plus other major tech players, suggests the AI wars might be entering a new phase.
The timing is provocative. Just months after Anthropic raised billions at a $40 billion valuation and OpenAI restructured into a for-profit entity, these competitors are now promising to collaborate on nurturing startups that could eventually challenge them. It's the kind of move that makes sense only when you zoom out. The AI industry needs a bigger pipeline of innovation, and even bitter rivals recognize that a rising tide lifts all boats, especially when regulators are circling.
Paris wasn't chosen by accident. France has been aggressively courting AI investment, with President Emmanuel Macron personally lobbying tech CEOs and the French government pouring billions into AI infrastructure. Meta already announced plans for a massive AI research center in Paris, and Mistral AI, Europe's homegrown AI champion, is based there. F/ai appears designed to cement Paris as the European answer to Silicon Valley's Y Combinator dominance.
