Jonathan Kanter is using AI to take on Big Tech

After stepping down as head of the Justice Department's Antitrust Division in 2024, Jonathan Kanter co-founded FluxCap with former acting Antitrust Division chief Doha Mekki. The startup, staffed by former DOJ staffers and Palantir engineers, sells an AI-based legal research and analysis tool designed to help plaintiffs build and strengthen cases against powerful companies. Kanter describes FluxCap as a "force multiplier" for antitrust watchdogs, calling it "existential" for long-term enforcement. The platform, built on proprietary technology and existing large language models, helps attorneys sift through discovery materials and find potential holes in their logic. Kanter notes that getting the tool to understand legal nuance was difficult, as lawyering isn't about right or wrong answers. The team tested the system with existing and hypothetical cases, and one of its first customers is antitrust boutique firm Kressin Powers. Kanter says the tool provides the manpower of roughly "20-plus people working around the clock," helping small teams take on large opponents. The seeds of FluxCap began inside the Antitrust Division, where Kanter's team struggled with limited resources compared to multibillion-dollar companies. He notes that state attorneys general face even greater resource imbalances. While tech alone can't fully even the playing field, Kanter believes FluxCap will be a "great equalizer" for enforcers.

(Source：The Verge)