Italian regulators have ordered Meta to open its WhatsApp platform to rival AI chatbots, amid an ongoing probe into the US tech giant’s alleged abuse of its dominant market position. The move comes as the European Commission launched an antitrust investigation earlier this month to determine if Meta’s integration of AI features in WhatsApp breaches the bloc’s competition rules.
Meta has integrated its Meta AI chatbot across its platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, which serve billions of users globally. However, Italy’s competition regulator has raised concerns that the company’s new contractual conditions, set to take effect on January 15, would exclude rival AI chatbots from the WhatsApp platform. This, the regulator argues, could limit production, market access, and technical developments in the AI chatbot services market, ultimately harming consumers.
The Italian regulator has issued an interim order for Meta to suspend the terms and allow rival AI chatbots to use WhatsApp while the investigation continues. The move is deemed necessary to prevent “serious and irreparable harm” to competition in the affected market. The regulator will coordinate with the European Commission to ensure that Meta’s conduct is addressed effectively.
Meta AI is a generative chatbot that can interact with users, providing a new way to search for and obtain information and services. With over three billion users on WhatsApp, locking the platform to Meta AI could potentially give the company a significant commercial advantage over rival chatbots.
The EU antitrust probe and the Italian regulator’s investigation are part of a broader scrutiny of Meta’s practices. The company already faces the risk of heavy fines under the EU’s Digital Services Act, which regulates content. Meta has also been accused of failing to grant researchers sufficient access to public data and not providing user-friendly ways to flag illegal content or challenge content-moderation decisions.
The investigation into Meta’s AI chatbot practices highlights the growing concern over the impact of AI on competition and consumer choice. As regulators continue to probe the company’s conduct, Meta must navigate the complex regulatory landscape and address concerns over its dominant market position. The outcome of the investigation will have significant implications for the future of AI chatbots and the tech industry as a whole.
