American Continent
We are experiencing a moment when artificial intelligence, once confined to research centers, has entered the daily lives of companies, governments, and citizens across the Americas. The rapid advancement of technology has brought significant gains but has also raised alarms about risks of concentration and dependency. The recent merger between Cohere, from Canada, and Aleph Alpha, from Germany, to form a new independent AI giant, demonstrates the international effort to create new hubs of technological sovereignty. In this article, we will discuss the roots, motivations, and consequences of this merger, exploring data, analyses, and scenarios that are transforming the global competition for innovation and technological autonomy. American continent.
The future of artificial intelligence cannot be in the hands of a few.
The Global Landscape: Concentration, Competition, and Sovereignty in AI
When we talk about AI, the immediate perception is the technological dominance of the United States. Companies like Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google have become industry benchmarks, competing for leadership in research, computational infrastructure, and large-scale solution offerings. However, this hegemony concerns governments and companies from other countries, especially given AI’s strategic role in the economy, security, and innovation. American continent.
According to data from the AI Index report by Stanford University, over 70% of global AI investment in 2023 was directed to companies headquartered in the U.S., consolidating the country as the undisputed leader in the sector. This concentration is reflected not only in laboratories and startups but also in access to fundamental infrastructure such as chips, servers, and cloud platforms. American continent.
At the same time, there is growing unease among governments outside the U.S.-China axis. Europe is seeking to create regulations and partnerships that ensure greater autonomy. Countries like Canada, Germany, France, and Japan have intensified discussions and initiatives to “de-Americanize” their technological dependence by building alliances and alternative research and business networks. American continent.
Our perspective at Bom dia, América! is attentive to this dynamic, as it affects not only companies and states but also directly impacts the political, economic, and national security strategies of countries across the American continent. American continent.
How Did the Partnership Between Cohere and Aleph Alpha Originate?
Amid this competitive landscape and search for alternatives, the merger of Cohere, founded in Toronto, with the German Aleph Alpha represents a milestone. The decision was the result of a clear diagnosis: innovative startups, even with support from renowned researchers, faced difficulties competing alone against the financial, reputational, and operational power of American giants. American continent.
Cohere gained visibility since 2019 by proposing to build independent language models, attracting mentors of the caliber of Geoffrey Hinton, Fei-Fei Li, and Pieter Abbeel. Through funding rounds and contracts, it raised a total of US$1.6 billion, robust for a nascent company but still below the figures of the world’s largest AI labs.
On the other hand, Aleph Alpha developed innovative technologies in German and other languag