Fractional AI will become the operational centerpiece of a new enterprise AI services venture backed by Blackstone, Anthropic and Hellman & Friedman, marking the firm's first acquisition.
The deal also ends Fractional AI's 11-month partnership with OpenAI, according to people familiar with the terms.
San Francisco-based Fractional AI is being folded into an as-yet unnamed company built to provide AI services to enterprise customers.
The acquisition gives the newly formed venture an operating base as major investors and model providers push deeper into corporate AI adoption.
By dropping OpenAI for Anthropic, is this new venture signaling the rise of exclusive AI ecosystems and the end of open integration?
Can a $1.5B venture become the 'McKinsey of AI,' or will it just be another high-priced consultancy for corporate elites?
As this firm promises trillions in efficiency savings, what becomes of the human workforce it is designed to augment or replace?