Antitrust Labels Shift AI Power

Regulators can use procedural labels or designations (e.g., 'strategic market') to reshape market incentives around AI‑enabled platforms without first proving anticompetitive conduct. That designation typically expands investigatory and remedial options and can push firms to unbundle, change licensing, or alter default integrations to avoid tougher interventions. — If authorities treat strategic‑market labels as a practical regulatory tool, they can speed structural change in AI and productivity markets and set precedents for how governments manage platform consolidation.