EU tells Meta to let rivals run AI chatbots on WhatsApp

Source: BBC Technology

EU says Meta breached rules by blocking rival AI chatbots on WhatsApp

The European Commission has found that Meta violated competition rules by preventing other AI firms from offering chatbots on WhatsApp. Since 15 January, only Meta’s own AI assistant, Meta AI, has been able to operate on the platform.

The Commission described WhatsApp as an “important entry point” for AI chatbots such as ChatGPT, and said Meta was abusing its dominant position by blocking them.

“We must protect effective competition in this vibrant field, which means we cannot allow dominant tech companies to illegally leverage their dominance to give themselves an unfair advantage,” said Teresa Ribera, the European Commission’s competition chief.

Meta’s response

A Meta spokesperson told the BBC that the EU had “no reason” to intervene and claimed the Commission had “incorrectly” assumed WhatsApp Business was a key way people use chatbots.

Possible EU actions

The Commission will wait for Meta’s formal response to its findings. Depending on that reply, it could impose interim measures to prevent Meta from causing “serious and irreparable harm on the market”.

Mathias Vermeulen, director at law firm AWO (which works on EU digital policies), explained that the preliminary findings show firms cannot use control over one market “to unfairly advantage themselves in another”. He added that while Meta has not yet been found to break the law, interim measures could force the company to reopen WhatsApp to third‑party AI assistants.

Wider regulatory context

The EU’s move is part of a broader push to enforce its digital competition rules on big tech firms. Just three days earlier, the Commission told TikTok it must change its “addictive design” or face heavy fines after finding the platform breached online safety rules.

Source: Getty Images

European Commission press release
BBC article on TikTok decision