The European Commission has opened an antitrust investigation into Meta Platforms over its deployment of AI features in WhatsApp, signaling increased scrutiny of the tech giant’s use of generative artificial intelligence.
The inquiry centers on “Meta’s new policy regarding AI providers’ access to WhatsApp,” following the launch of Meta AI, a chatbot and virtual assistant, into the messaging app earlier this year across Europe.
A WhatsApp spokesperson dismissed the allegations as “baseless,” adding that the growing presence of chatbots on its platforms “puts a strain on our systems that they were not designed to support.” The spokesperson also noted that users have multiple options in the AI space, including “app stores, search engines, email services, partnership integrations, and operating systems.”
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Italy’s antitrust regulator is conducting a parallel investigation that began in July and expanded in November to examine whether Meta may have blocked competing AI chatbots from WhatsApp.
The European Commission’s probe will be carried out under traditional antitrust rules rather than the EU’s Digital Markets Act, the Financial Times reported, highlighting Brussels’ careful approach in regulating major tech companies while fostering innovation.