{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,21]],"date-time":"2026-05-21T11:32:14Z","timestamp":1779363134073,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":59,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,3,1]],"date-time":"2024-03-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1709251200000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100003246","name":"Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["SPI.2021.001 (awarded to Prof. Jos\u00e9 van Dijck)"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["SPI.2021.001 (awarded to Prof. Jos\u00e9 van Dijck)"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100003246","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001659","name":"Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["262513311 (SFB 1187: \u2018Media of Cooperation\u2019)"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["262513311 (SFB 1187: \u2018Media of Cooperation\u2019)"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001659","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Big Data &amp; Society"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2024,3]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Critical scholars contend that \u2018There is no AI without Big Tech\u2019. This study delves into the substantial role played by major technology conglomerates, including Amazon, Microsoft, and Google (Alphabet), in the \u2018industrialisation of artificial intelligence\u2019. This concept encapsulates the shift of AI technologies from the research and development stage to practical, real-world applications across diverse industry sectors, resulting in new dependencies and associated investments. We employ the term \u2018Big AI\u2019 to encapsulate the structural convergence of AI and Big Tech, characterised by the profound interdependence of AI with the infrastructure, resources, and investments of these major technology companies. Using a \u2018technographic\u2019 approach, our study scrutinises the infrastructural support and investments of Big Tech in the AI sector, focussing on corporate partnerships, acquisitions, and financial investments. Additionally, we conduct a detailed examination of the complete spectrum of cloud platform products and services offered by Amazon, Microsoft, and Google. We demonstrate that AI is not merely an abstract idea but an actual technology stack encompassing infrastructure, models, applications, and an ecosystem of applications and companies relying on this stack. Significantly, these tech giants have seamlessly integrated all three components of the stack into their cloud offerings. Furthermore, they have developed industry-focussed solutions and marketplaces aimed at attracting third-party developers and businesses, fostering the growth of a broader AI ecosystem. This analysis underscores the intricate interdependence between AI and cloud infrastructure, emphasising the industry-specific aspects of cloud AI.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/20539517241232630","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,3,12]],"date-time":"2024-03-12T10:55:44Z","timestamp":1710240944000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":154,"title":["Big AI: Cloud infrastructure dependence and the industrialisation of artificial intelligence"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"11","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1401-0325","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Fernando","family":"van der Vlist","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Media Studies, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4327-4012","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Anne","family":"Helmond","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Media and Culture Studies, Utrecht University, the Netherlands"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0637-0232","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Fabian","family":"Ferrari","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Media and Culture Studies, Utrecht University, the Netherlands"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,3,12]]},"reference":[{"key":"bibr1-20539517241232630","unstructured":"AWS Startup Loft (n.d.) 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Available at: https:\/\/blogs.microsoft.com\/blog\/2023\/03\/22\/microsoft-creates-new-opportunities-for-partners-through-ai-offerings-and-expansion-of-microsoft-cloud-partner-program\/."},{"key":"bibr9-20539517241232630","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2307\/j.ctvj4sxc6"},{"issue":"0","key":"bibr10-20539517241232630","first-page":"1","volume":"0","author":"Egliston B","year":"2022","journal-title":"New Media & Society"},{"key":"bibr11-20539517241232630","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/26349825231193226"},{"key":"bibr12-20539517241232630","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/1600910X.2022.2137546"},{"key":"bibr13-20539517241232630","unstructured":"Gates B (2023) The age of AI has begun. In:\n                      GatesNotes\n                      , 21 March. Available at: https:\/\/www.gatesnotes.com\/The-Age-of-AI-Has-Begun."},{"key":"bibr14-20539517241232630","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1461444809342738"},{"key":"bibr15-20539517241232630","unstructured":"Goldman S (2022) Big Tech cloud AI wars heat up. In:\n                      VentureBeat\n                      , 14 October. Available at: https:\/\/venturebeat.com\/ai\/the-ai-beat-big-tech-cloud-ai-wars-heat-up\/."},{"key":"bibr16-20539517241232630","unstructured":"Greenfield E (2023) Adobe Firefly generative AI & Adobe Express to inspire millions to create in partnership with Google. In:\n                      Adobe Blog\n                      . 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Available at: https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/e9ebfb8d-428d-4802-8b27-a69314c421ce."},{"key":"bibr36-20539517241232630","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/0308518X221094028"},{"key":"bibr37-20539517241232630","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/14614448221149939"},{"key":"bibr38-20539517241232630","volume-title":"Global Cloud Projects Report and Database 2023","author":"Paraskevopoulos D","year":"2023"},{"key":"bibr39-20539517241232630","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/03063127211048945"},{"key":"bibr40-20539517241232630","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1215\/00029831-10575021"},{"key":"bibr41-20539517241232630","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/03063127231185095"},{"key":"bibr42-20539517241232630","unstructured":"Richter (2023) Big three dominate the global cloud market. In:\n                      Statista\n                      , 28 April. 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Available at: https:\/\/cloud.google.com\/blog\/products\/ai-machine-learning\/generative-ai-for-businesses-and-governments."}],"container-title":["Big Data &amp; Society"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"http:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/20539517241232630","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"http:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1177\/20539517241232630","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"http:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/20539517241232630","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,28]],"date-time":"2026-04-28T13:00:44Z","timestamp":1777381244000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"http:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/20539517241232630"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2024,3]]},"references-count":59,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2024,3]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1177\/20539517241232630"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/20539517241232630","relation":{},"ISSN":["2053-9517","2053-9517"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2053-9517","type":"print"},{"value":"2053-9517","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2024,3]]},"article-number":"20539517241232630"}}