Italy has launched an antitrust investigation into Meta, alleging the tech giant may have violated European Union competition rules by integrating its artificial intelligence service into the popular messaging app WhatsApp. The probe, announced Wednesday, centers on concerns that Meta is leveraging its dominance in consumer communications to unfairly promote its AI tools, potentially stifling competitors in the emerging market for AI-driven services.
According to Italy’s Competition and Market Authority (AGCM), Meta—which owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp—began pre-installing its AI chatbot on WhatsApp in March 2025. The regulator argued this move could amount to “imposing” the use of Meta’s AI features on the app’s over 2 billion global users. “By merging these services, Meta risks exploiting its vast user base to channel customers into its AI ecosystem, bypassing fair competition,” the AGCM stated. The authority stressed that such practices might harm rival AI developers while cementing Meta’s market dominance.
On Tuesday, Italian officials, alongside the country’s Financial Police, conducted an inspection of Meta’s Rome-based subsidiary as part of the inquiry. The investigation is being coordinated with the European Commission, reflecting broader EU scrutiny of Big Tech’s expanding influence in digital markets.
Central to the probe is the allegation that Meta’s integration of its AI tool into WhatsApp could create a “lock-in” effect, making users increasingly reliant on its services. The AGCM noted that as Meta’s AI gathers more user data over time, it could deliver “increasingly useful and relevant responses,” further discouraging customers from exploring alternative providers. This dynamic, regulators warn, might skew the competitive landscape in the nascent AI sector, where impartiality and open access are seen as vital for innovation.
The case marks the latest regulatory challenge for Meta in Europe, where authorities have previously penalized the company over data privacy breaches and antitrust violations. EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager recently emphasized tightening oversight of tech firms that “gatekeep” critical digital services, a stance echoed in the bloc’s landmark Digital Markets Act (DMA). Under these rules, companies controlling “core platform services” face strict limits on favoring their own products over rivals’.
Meta has yet to publicly respond to the Italian investigation. The company has previously defended its AI integrations as efforts to enhance user experience, claiming features like chatbot assistance are optional and designed to complement—not replace—existing services.
The outcome of the probe could set precedents for how regulators address the intersection of AI development and market competition globally. As governments scramble to keep pace with rapid technological advances, cases like this underscore growing concerns over whether tech giants’ control of user data and platform ecosystems might hinder fair market practices. For now, the investigation signals heightened scrutiny of Meta’s strategies as it navigates the complex regulatory terrain shaping the future of AI adoption.
